Publisher's Synopsis
This is a study of the complex system of practices, beliefs and taboos which surrounded conception and childbirth in early modern Europe. The book describes the activities and attitudes of the midwives and mothers, and the sufferings they had to endure. In this pre–industrial setting, the emphasis on nature, and heredity and continuity led to a repudiation of barren women and malformed babies, and a preference for male children. The book explores the role of the Church, and herbalists and alchemists.
