HIST 1230

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HIST 1230
FWS: Monstrous Births, Scheming Midwives: Childbirth in Europe 1500-1800

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2023-2024.

When Mary Toft gave birth to rabbits in 1726, only some (but not all) doctors thought she was faking. Why was her story plausible, and how were the rabbits explained? Who controlled childbirth, and who had the power to decide whether a pregnancy was real? How did Mary Toft experience the event? Monstrous births, dishonest midwives, infanticide, and the powers of pregnant women were topics of fascination and debate in early modern Europe and America.  In this course we use writings by midwives, medical treatises, letters, autobiographies, news reports, and trial records to examine practices and beliefs surrounding childbirth, and at how these in turn reflected concerns about property, sexuality, health and religion.

When Offered Spring.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 19133 HIST 1230   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR McGraw Hall 215
    • Jan 22 - May 7, 2024

    • Weil, R

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.