- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Yale University Press (Jun 10 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0300075979
- ISBN-13: 978-0300075977
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.9 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 494 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,721,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
The use of anesthetics to alleviate pain associated with childbirth is controversial. This book, written by a physician specializing in obstetric anesthesia, is an attempt to understand and explain women's reactions to this pain. He explores several interesting subjects in the process. The development of anesthesia occurred during a period of political, social, and scientific change. Physicians had to learn to think like scientists as they mastered the use of a new tool. The social reactions to childbirth were also changing as the feminist and suffrage movements liberated women from religious doctrines associating pain with sin and punishment. The interaction between medical practice and social values, between physicians who see pain as a scientific problem and women who view childbirth as a social, political, and/or personal issue, is fascinating. Physicians discover what can be done, but patients decide what will be done. Unlike Judith Leavitt's Brought to Bed (1986), which discusses the history of childbearing in America, this book deals with the development of anesthesia, its use in childbirth, and the colorful personalities involved in these events. Recommended for health science, medical history, women's studies, academic, and large public libraries.ABarbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Anesthesiologist Caton tells a fascinating story. Scottish obstetrician James Young Simpson first used chloroform on patients in labor shortly after the mid-nineteenth-century discovery of surgical anesthesia. His major contribution was equating the pain of childbirth with that of surgery; that is, realizing that pain served no useful purpose and often hampered patient and surgeon. After Simpson, the next major figure is John Snow, the first scientific anesthesiologist, who used chloroform on Queen Victoria during her last two birth labors. Although those events gave the process widely favorable publicity, Snow's main contribution consisted in keeping detailed records, investigating processes and effects, and relying on statistics. Caton also explores twilight sleep, Grantly Dick Read and "natural childbirth," and the role of prenatal care. He deals not only with medicine and science but also with the conflicting views among both physicians and the public. Caton's work is an enjoyable and valuable addition to the literature of medicine and society. William Beatty
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By
This review is from: What a Blessing She Had Chloroform: The Medical and Social Response to the Pain of Childbirth from 1800 to the Present (Hardcover)
This book presents the historical background behind obstetric anesthesia. In covering the developments in anesthesia, the author also summarizes major developments in the general field of medicine, especially since the 1840s. He stresses how much medicine changed from 1800 to 1900, and how the discovery and development of anesthesia played an important role in these changes. He also points out how medicine evolved from being based on tradition and assumptions into a truly scientific field during this period, and how by the end of this period, doctors could no longer simply claim that a procedure worked- -they actually had to prove it with carefully designed studies. One trend that Caton identifies in this book is how much power patients have wielded in the decision to adopt or disregard anesthesia in childbirth. In the 1840s, many leading women demanded the use of anesthesia from doctors who were reluctant to try the new-fangled and untested idea. The turn of the twentieth century found feminist groups campaigning for access to anesthesia for all women who wanted it. Nevertheless, modern feminists protest against the medicalization of childbirth, and eschew the same anesthesia that their great grandmothers fought so hard for. This book is very well written. Abundant citations to primary sources are found in the endnotes. Some readers may find the style a bit academic. This book isn't really intended to help a reader decide for or against a "natural" childbirth, but readers will find sound information here that gives them the background behind both sides of the debate.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
what a blessing we have this book,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: What a Blessing She Had Chloroform: The Medical and Social Response to the Pain of Childbirth from 1800 to the Present (Hardcover)
The obvious problem this author has is that if you have not given birth or are not thinking about it, you may not be that interested in the topic. Actually, Caton does quite a good job of showing how debates about use of anesthesia in childbirth tie in to larger cultural debates about medicine, progress, and the meaning of pain. In simple language, and with a good effort at giving all points of view fairly, he goes over both the scientific history of how drugs became available for childbirth and the social history of how the public (including doctors) responded. Yes, I did read it just after I had my child -- and I enjoyed it. I live in Japan where the debate over ``natural'' childbirth rages on. I think this book would make a nice gift for your intelligent friend who's having a baby (for goodness' sake, she'll get enough stuffed animals from other people).
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By Erika Mitchell - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: What a Blessing She Had Chloroform: The Medical and Social Response to the Pain of Childbirth from 1800 to the Present (Hardcover)
This book presents the historical background behind obstetric anesthesia. In covering the developments in anesthesia, the author also summarizes major developments in the general field of medicine, especially since the 1840s. He stresses how much medicine changed from 1800 to 1900, and how the discovery and development of anesthesia played an important role in these changes. He also points out how medicine evolved from being based on tradition and assumptions into a truly scientific field during this period, and how by the end of this period, doctors could no longer simply claim that a procedure worked- -they actually had to prove it with carefully designed studies. One trend that Caton identifies in this book is how much power patients have wielded in the decision to adopt or disregard anesthesia in childbirth. In the 1840s, many leading women demanded the use of anesthesia from doctors who were reluctant to try the new-fangled and untested idea. The turn of the twentieth century found feminist groups campaigning for access to anesthesia for all women who wanted it. Nevertheless, modern feminists protest against the medicalization of childbirth, and eschew the same anesthesia that their great grandmothers fought so hard for. This book is very well written. Abundant citations to primary sources are found in the endnotes. Some readers may find the style a bit academic. This book isn't really intended to help a reader decide for or against a "natural" childbirth, but readers will find sound information here that gives them the background behind both sides of the debate. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting medical and social issues,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: What a Blessing She Had Chloroform: The Medical and Social Response to the Pain of Childbirth from 1800 to the Present (Hardcover)
My husband and I both found this book very informative and well written. Having received it as a gift while expecting our second child this timely and thoughtful gift gave us new issues and angles to consider regarding anesthesia and childbirth. This book is written in a clear, concise style and is easily understood by those not in the medical field. I would highly recommend this book to expectant mothers/fathers and to their ob/gyn physicians and nurses. We gave this book to the physician who delivered our beautiful son.
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