Possibly my favourite historical figure of all time is Elizabeth Cellier, the ‘Popish Midwife’ who was involved in one of those complicated ‘plots’ of late seventeenth-century England; the ‘meal-tub plot’, in which a list of plotters turned up in her kitchen. Was it genuine, or planted by those who wanted to represent Roman Catholics as… Continue reading Midwifery and ventriloquism: did Elizabeth Cellier write her own books?
Author: fluff35
I blog on a range of subjects arising from various aspects of my life. On https://theretiringacademic.wordpress.com, I focus on my reactions to early retirement and think about aspects of teaching and research which I hope will be stimulating to those still working in higher education. On https://shared-conversations.com, I blog as an authorized lay preacher in a pretty standard parish church of the Church of England, who needs to write in order to find out what she thinks. I took part in the Oxford/St Albans/Armed Forces C of E 'Shared Conversations' in March 2016, worked on the Living in Love and Faith resources from 2017 and was elected to General Synod in October 2021, and continue to try to reflect on some of the issues. On https://mistakinghistories.wordpress.com I share my thoughts on various aspects of the history of medicine and the body.
I have also written for The Conversation UK on https://theconversation.com/profiles/helen-king-94923/articles
The ideal midwife?
What do we look for in a midwife? Short nails feature a lot in the history of midwifery! Back in the second century AD, a doctor called Soranus wrote a book we now know as the Gynaecology. In consecutive chapters, he first answers the question ‘Who is able to become a midwife?’ and then turns… Continue reading The ideal midwife?
“Call the Midwife” – or knit your own womb
(this post develops an earlier version that first appeared in July 2013 on http://departu.org.uk) It was one of those moments that only happens when academics and practitioners are in the same room… For about a year, I had been thinking about the history of visual representations of body parts, and had been introducing audiences… Continue reading “Call the Midwife” – or knit your own womb
The vulva goes on pilgrimage
(updated February 2018) We've looked at several different aspects of menstruation here, and as a logical next destination, I suggest the female genitalia. That's the external parts, not the internal ones - the confusion between those I've discussed here. I'll start with the pewter badges worn in the hat during the Middle Ages, my favourite one… Continue reading The vulva goes on pilgrimage
Four weird ideas people used to have about women’s periods
What did menstrual bleeding mean to the people of the past? And what expectations did that raise?
Mistaking histories 