A Cultural History of Pregnancy

'As a teacher, I am grateful to Hanson for bringing forth a study that combines a careful historical reconstruction of the scientific practices surrounding pregnancy with incisive analysis of cultural representations responding to and shaping those practices. A timely and much-needed book!' - Dr Lisa Zunshine, Department of English, University of Kentucky

'A fascinating study which combines clear exposition of scientific thought with incisive analysis of a range of cultural texts and contexts. Absorbing and illuminating, this book makes a major contribution both to our understanding of the history of medicine and of the intricate interrelations between medicine and culture.' - Peter Gluckmann FRS, Distinguished Professor, University of Auckland

'The historical sweep of this study is impressive and its emphasis on the way pregnancy is framed and experienced makes it a landmark text. 'Informal' knowledges shared by midwives and mothers over the centuries are set deftly against the discourses of science and medical observation. The resulting argument illustrates how the images, myths and 'facts' about pregnancy contribute to shifting accounts of what pregnancy means in a given culture at a given time. From the rise in obstetrics in the eighteenth century to the ever-shifting boundaries of reproductive technology in the twenty-first century, this book captures the continuing tensions between our definitions of nature and culture, science and experience, toshow that pregnancy, as both medical condition and cultural experience, is ripe for re-evaluation.' - Imelda Whelehan, Professor of English and Women's Studies, De Montfort University

'Hanson builds up a rounded picture of the joys, pains and prejudices that have surrounded pregnancy since 1750.' - Beth Wright, Women: A Cultural Review