The Empty Cradle: Infertility in America from Colonial Times to the Present

Marsh, Margaret and Wanda Ronner

ISBN 10: 0801852285 / ISBN 13: 9780801852282

Edité par The Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1996

A propos de cet article

326pp. The Henry E. Sigerist Series in the History of Medicine.

N° de réf. du vendeur 013502

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Empty Cradle: Infertility in America from Colonial Times to the Present
• Éditeur: The Johns Hopkins Univ. Press
• Date de parution: 1996
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0801852285
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780801852282
• Reliure: Hardback
• État de l'article: Very Good
• État de la jaquette: Very Good
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Science

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

This history of infertility, and the social phenomenon of how Americans have reacted to it, describes the emotional and medical experiences of childless couples who seek help for infertility. It utilizes a variety of sources, such as memoirs, patient records, medical textbooks, scholarly journals, personal letters and women's magazines, in order to correct certain assumptions about infertility. Many of the "modern" medical techniques used to treat infertility are shown as having been around for a long time - donor insemination was first carried out as early as the mid-19th century, while the first "ovarian transplantation" took place in the later 19th century. The role of gender is examined, and the authors argue that although infertility is a condition for which men and women bear equal responsibility, women have been subjected to a disproportionate share of the blame and treatment.

Présentation de l'éditeur

Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 1996"[Marsh and Ronner make for] a highly successful combination in which faultless clinical detail and a broad social and cultural approach are seamlessly woven to produce a very impressive and beautifully written historical work of the first importance." - Irvine Louden, Journal of the Social History of Medicine In The Empty Cradle, Margaret Marsh and Wanda Ronner delve into the origins of the many misconceptions surrounding infertility as they explore how medical and cultural beliefs emerged throughout its controversial history. Drawing on a wide variety of sources-including intimate diaries and letters, patient records, memoirs, medical literature, and popular magazines- The Empty Cradle investigates the social, cultural, scientific, and medical dimensions of infertility over the past three hundred years. Marsh and Ronner explore reactions-among both physicians and husbands-to the emerging scientific evidence that infertility was a condition for which men and women bear equal responsibility. The book concludes that infertility is still a subject affected by myth and misunderstanding. A lively and compelling history of a complex medical and cultural phenomenon, The Empty Cradle brings a valuable perspective to current debates about how we should think about and address the experience of infertility in our own time. "Marsh and Ronner have sought to go beyond the published medical literature to disclose the voices of those most affected by the physiological and cultural condition of infertility . . . they have restored to the historical record the anguish and the hopes of women who experienced infertility." - Rima D. Apple, American Historical Review "The book's lucid explanations of medical terms and procedures will allow me to recommend it to my infertility patients. I plan to do so, trusting that it will give