Laurel Thatcher Ulrich - A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812

I am beginning to consider myself a minor expert on A Midwife's Tale. Over the course of the past two weeks I have read the book, discussed it in class, seen the PBS movie based on the book, and had breakfast with the author, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Meeting her was just great and very encouraging to me as a woman scholar. This is a work written which reflects both Ulrich's devotion to serious research and scholarship and also her personal attachment to Martha Ballard.

Plot Information
This is the story of Martha Ballard, a sixteenth century midwife in Maine. Martha kept a diary between the years of 1785 and 1812 documenting her thriving birth practice, work around the house and garden, visits with friends and family, and just about anything else. Ulrich sifted through the journal and pieced it together with public records and other sources from the time to create a comprehensive narrative. Each chapter begins with excerpts from the diary and then ends with Ulrich's interpretation. A sample entry:

Clear forenoon, Cloudy afternoon, rain at Evening. I receivd 6/ of Mr. Hodges & returned home at noon. Left my patient cleverly. Calld at Mr. Burtuns. His Lady is cleverly. I Bot off him 2 iron kettles which cost 7/, 1 spider at 3/6, 2 pepper boxes & 2 dippirs at /6 each, 2/, 1 yd binding /1, gin 2/6, total 15/1. I went to Magr Stickneys at 9 h Evn. His wife delivered at 11 h 5 m off a daughter. I tarried all night.

My Thoughts
The text above might seem intelligible, and really pretty boring. Believe it or not, the book isn't. Ulrich weaves Martha's journal entries into a coherent story based on her research of events of the time. Particularly interesting is her analysis of the average deaths at birth of mother and child in the region compared with those at the births Martha attended. Martha, in fact, attended 816 births during the 27 years of the journal. While giving birth in the 1700's was always a much riskier proposition than today, based on the statistics presented I would certainly have wanted Martha at my childbirth!

The reason I loved this book was that I felt Ulrich really captured the essence of Martha. Based on the journal entries, it is clear that Martha was a hard-working wife and mother, proud to have her own private medical career. She is compassionate with the women and children she cares for. Some have criticized the "mundane" nature of the journal entries but I think that makes the story even better. This was a real woman, and she wasn't trying to spice up her journal. Martha calls it like she sees it. Ulrich treats her subject with a great deal of respect and sympathy, even toward the end of her life when her complaints come to dominate the pages of the journal somewhat. When she spoke with us at our school, it was clear she really felt connected to the character due to their shared experiences as mothers and professional women.

The book does a remarkable job of tying the text together by using the entries of several important months to lead into analysis. The subjects covered are diverse and interesting. One chapter focuses on the relationship of midwifes to physicians, another on Martha's husband's trials with his job as a tax collector, and one on a time of great illness in the town.

I found this story of particular interest as a woman. Rarely are there such complete sources on a woman from this time period. Often the roles of women in history are carved out simply by looking at men, and rarely do we hear from one in her own words.

Overall…
This is a really great work of research and an interesting read. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this time period, women living in the past, midwifery, or the history of medical practice in general. A Midwife's Tale is a book with a great combination of extensive research and character development that I really enjoyed.