A Treat for the Medical Historian

A Midwife's Tale was one of the books on the syllabus I was most looking forward to reading, and I am not disappointed. I feel as if Dr. Bristol assigned this book with me in mind. Not only is the book a brilliant example of a microhistory, it also provides detailed glimpses into 18th and early 19th century medical practice that surprised me despite a decade of work as a medical historian. Martha Ballard's work as a midwife coincided with, and in fact traversed, a powerful movement in professionalization of the medical field that began in Europe but echoed throughout pre-Jacksonian America. Ballard’s “empirical” practice, her reliance on herbal and natural cures, and her emphasis on providing comfort to the patient are all in contrast to the “heroic” methods that were becoming the hallmark of supposedly learned (and at the time, exclusively male) physicians. In the 19^th century these differing medical theories would drive a wedge between empirics like Ballard and the university-trained physicians who were set apart by the title “doctor,” but as Ulrich’s analysis shows, the doctors and the midwives existed in a more cordial, complementary system of care in the rural communities of the late 18^th century.

Aside from her obviously extensive research into the history of medicine and of early American lifeways, which she uses to supplement her exposition of Ballard’s diary, Ulrich has a talent for storytelling that weaves the history into a compelling narrative. As we have discussed in class, this is a common aspect of microhistories that Ulrich has clearly mastered. She is able to take the reader on tangential paths exploring the town, the family relationships, and the overall environment in which Martha Ballard worked, without losing focus on the primary subject – Ballard’s daily experiences as expressed through her diary.

Since I plan to base my own microhistory project on a diary as the primary source (and a medical diary at that), A Midwife’s Tale is a fantastic example of how such work can be constructed in an interesting, analytical, and historically significant way.

I would also like to point out, in case anyone is not aware, that there is a wonderful PBS American Experience film and website based on A Midwife’s Tale. I have not seen the film yet, but I did find the website (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/midwife/index.html) to be a helpful supplement to the book, particularly the timeline (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/midwife/timeline/index.html), which provides a broad, historical context for the time in which Martha Ballard lived and worked.