Martha Ballard and a "Man-Midwife"

see interactive version (requires Shockwave)

At the end of the eighteenth century, some male doctors began to build their medical practices by assisting normal births, previously the exclusive sphere of women. A controversy raged in Britain and America about these new man-midwives while Martha Ballard practiced midwifery in Maine. The 1793 Man-Mid-Wife cartoon that you see above depicts one view of the controversy in the form of a "Monster," a half-male, half-female midwife.

Learn what contemporary authors said about the man-midwife controversy, pro and con. Explore an encounter between Martha and a man-midwife on October 9 & 10, 1794. Learn about man-midwife Dr. Ben Page from his financial records, letters, a medical journal, newspaper ads, and Martha's diary. See the film and book interpretations. Find out how the roles of midwives and doctors have changed since 1794.

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see interactive version (requires Shockwave)	At the end of the eighteenth century, some male doctors began to build their medical practices by assisting normal births, previously the exclusive sphere of women. A controversy raged in Britain and America about these new man-midwives while Martha Ballard practiced midwifery in Maine. The 1793 Man-Mid-Wife cartoon that you see above depicts one view of the controversy in the form of a "Monster," a half-male, half-female midwife.