Product DescriptionWith an updated introduction, the revolutionary book that changed our understanding of the history of gender in America is now back in print. Controversial and considered ahead of its time, The Horrors of the Half-Known Life is a startling portrait of male attitudes toward masculinity, women, and sexuality in nineteenth-century America. Through an examination of the elimination of midwivery, the origins of gynecology -a horrifying history-and general attitudes and advice about sexuality, Barker-Benfield brilliantly illuminates the state of manhood and misogyny in nineteenth-century America.
Now a classic in the field, The Horrors of the Half-Known Life is an important foundational text in the construction of masculinity, female identity, and the history of midwivery.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By A Customer
I write this as something of an antidote to another review, which I believe missed the point of the book (astute prospective buyers may realize that the contents of the book are still controversial for some!). The reviewer's last phrase may explain the negative reaction: "...if you want to find out what women's lives were like, from a legitimate medical point of view, a century and a half ago."
The book is not about what women's lives were like; it is about the attitudes of a certain group of male physicians toward women. This WAS the "legitimate medical point of view" for many then and, unfortunately, now. (Many physicians of my generation recall vividly being taught in med school about hysterical female patients and have seen some pretty primitive attitudes toward women -- and toward patients in general, frankly -- being inculcated into interns and residents during our training.)
By Aficionado "Aficionado" (St. Louis, MO)
This book has achieved 'classical' status among a certain segment of the population that views history through an ideological lens without the need to process factual information. Unfortunately, this work is lightly regarded by professional historians who take competence seriously. The author has no competence in either the history of medicine and therapeutics, or clinical gynecologic pathology. The work relies primarily on secondary sources, is full of anachronisms, and is useful mainly as a good example of what medical and social history should NOT be. Thoughtful readers might like to read the devastating review of this book in the Bulletin of the History of Medicine. Don't waste your money on this one. Start with Shorter's A History of Women's Bodies or Irvine Loudon's classic Death in Childbirth, if you want to find out what women's lives were like, from a legitimate medical point of view, a century and a half ago.
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