Not of Woman Born: Representations of Caesarean Birth in Medieval and Renaissance Culture

Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinkski's Not of Woman Born is an historical examination of a subject which remains taboo at times even today: the representation of and cultural attitudes towards Cesarean-sections. The focus of the study is Medieval Europe's emerging and evolving approach to "c-sections", at a time when the procedures are first being documented in medical texts and the survival of mothers is first rumored. Indeed, a large part of the controversy surround Cesareans as the surgery developed is whether or not they could and should be preformed on living mothers, and whether or not the surgery would cause death or future sterility.

The text itself is fascinating; while the subject itself is medical by definition, Not of Woman Born is an show more historical and cultural study as opposed to a medical text. Blumenfeld-Kosinski traces the evolution of obstetrics, and it's amazing to see how many attitudes and ideas persist to this day. She utilizes all of the (admittedly limited) information available to her, and presents studies of not only medical texts, but illuminations, stories, and popular Medieval culture as well. While I found the text difficult to follow in a few places (largely for a lack of knowledge of Latin or French), the study is neatly organized and illustrated, and thoroughly analyzed. show less