A Midwife's Tale Summary

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich book A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 is a book that shows reader a different side of history that most have never seen before. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote the book based on the diary Martha Ballard kept from 1785 through 1812. Although there are several documents that exist today showing the history of families and how they lived in the late 1700’s, few documents show their private lives and even fewer from the point from the midwives. For this reason, Laurel Ulrich wanted to write a book about Martha Ballard’s diary and wanted to embrace the midwifes role in the household by showing the reader the wide range of skills and tasks that each wife carry’s on to support the family. Not only was the midwifes role to cook, clean, and raise the children but to also manage the garden, health, and livestock for the family. Although Laurel Ulrich was unable to include all of the passages in the diary, she did transcribe ten of the longest passages
One of her biggest assists to the community was playing nurse or physician by delivering babies. Throughout her life she helped deliver 816 babies with a birth mortality rate that of the 1940’s. When she was not delivering babies she was typically found administering aid to sick neighbors with ointments, syrups and pills that she created from traditional times. Even though she was a woman she would typically be the first to be called to administer aid by her neighbors before doctors would be involved. Even when a doctor is called she would still assist the doctor in prescribing treatment. Unfortunately, when she was unable to save a life and the person she would administer aid to expires, she would be the one who cleans and prepares the body for burial. She was even invited to dissections by doctors of the time to watch and