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Chapter 8. Language, labour and ideology

Constructing epistemologies of childbirth in the first three centuries of English-language midwifery texts (1540–1800)

Abstract

Writings on midwifery and women’s medicine related to childbirth reflect the many changes affecting this field during the Early Modern period, which in turn reflect changes in epistemological values Through the lens of critical discourse analysis, this paper discusses existing and emergent ideological demarcations between the wide range of midwifery texts published between 1500 and 1800 through a qualitative examination of prefatory material in these texts. It is shown that the earliest midwifery texts make much recourse to the authoritative knowledge of classical authors, following the tradition of medieval Scholasticism. As female midwives enter the textual scene, personal experience and empathy become valued sources of knowledge. Finally, the emergence of 'man-midwives' led to scientific prowess combined with personal experience touted as the most superior form of knowledge relating to the care of parturient women.

Abstract

Writings on midwifery and women’s medicine related to childbirth reflect the many changes affecting this field during the Early Modern period, which in turn reflect changes in epistemological values Through the lens of critical discourse analysis, this paper discusses existing and emergent ideological demarcations between the wide range of midwifery texts published between 1500 and 1800 through a qualitative examination of prefatory material in these texts. It is shown that the earliest midwifery texts make much recourse to the authoritative knowledge of classical authors, following the tradition of medieval Scholasticism. As female midwives enter the textual scene, personal experience and empathy become valued sources of knowledge. Finally, the emergence of 'man-midwives' led to scientific prowess combined with personal experience touted as the most superior form of knowledge relating to the care of parturient women.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Chapter 1. Corpora, pragmatics, and historical medical discourse 1
  5. Part I. Tracing discursive changes
  6. Chapter 2. “A geography of names” 23
  7. Chapter 3. Medical topics and style from 1500 to 2018 49
  8. Chapter 4. Medical discourse in Late Modern English 79
  9. Chapter 5. Survival or death 105
  10. Chapter 6. Towards a local grammar of stance expression in Late Modern English medical writing 127
  11. Chapter 7. “Die Blumenzeit der Frau” 153
  12. Part II. Changing functions, roles and representations
  13. Chapter 8. Language, labour and ideology 179
  14. Chapter 9. Unhappy patients and eminent physicians 203
  15. Chapter 10. The discursive dynamics of personal experience narratives and medical advice in 18th-century British consultation letters 229
  16. Chapter 11. Communicating authority 251
  17. Chapter 12. How old is old? 273
  18. Chapter 13. The popularization of learned medicine in late seventeenth-century England 297
  19. Index 317
Corpus Pragmatic Studies on the History of Medical Discourse
This chapter is in the book Corpus Pragmatic Studies on the History of Medical Discourse
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.330.08whi

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Chapter 1. Corpora, pragmatics, and historical medical discourse 1
  5. Part I. Tracing discursive changes
  6. Chapter 2. “A geography of names” 23
  7. Chapter 3. Medical topics and style from 1500 to 2018 49
  8. Chapter 4. Medical discourse in Late Modern English 79
  9. Chapter 5. Survival or death 105
  10. Chapter 6. Towards a local grammar of stance expression in Late Modern English medical writing 127
  11. Chapter 7. “Die Blumenzeit der Frau” 153
  12. Part II. Changing functions, roles and representations
  13. Chapter 8. Language, labour and ideology 179
  14. Chapter 9. Unhappy patients and eminent physicians 203
  15. Chapter 10. The discursive dynamics of personal experience narratives and medical advice in 18th-century British consultation letters 229
  16. Chapter 11. Communicating authority 251
  17. Chapter 12. How old is old? 273
  18. Chapter 13. The popularization of learned medicine in late seventeenth-century England 297
  19. Index 317
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