Midwifery and Medicine in Boston: Walter Channing, M.D., 1786-1876 [Hardcover]

Amalie M. Kass (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1555535011 | ISBN-13: 978-3893223503 | Publication Date: December 7, 2001 | Edition: 1

This first biography of the prominent obstetrician vividly depicts the life and career of a multi-faceted man and offers fresh perspectives on medicine, society, and women's reproductive lives in nineteenth-century America.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: German, English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Awarded Honorable Mention for the 2003 Boston Authors Club Julia Ward Howe Prize for the best book published by a New England author.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 386 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern; 1 edition (December 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555535011
• ISBN-13: 978-3893223503
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,289,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for the historian!, April 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Midwifery and Medicine in Boston: Walter Channing, M.D., 1786-1876 (Hardcover)

As a reader who is not well versed in medicine or in American history (don't tell my mother!) I found this to be thoroughly enjoyable and a fast read. Walter Channing lived a rich and long life, and Kass wonderfully captures the medical, social, family and spiritual life of this man and 19th century America. Channing was one of the great men (and belonged to one of the great families)of early Boston, and his accomplishments and efforts to improve the lives of women and newborns were great. And yet here is also a wonderful story (often sad though sometimes with touching humor)of a very real and inspiring person.

I have read a number of biographies recently--Gallileo's Daughter, A Clearing in the Distance(Frederick Law Olmsted) and this belongs in that group of complelling and thoroughly researched stories.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful contribution to the field of medical history, April 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Midwifery and Medicine in Boston: Walter Channing, M.D., 1786-1876 (Hardcover)

Anyone with an interest in history, medicine, women's studies, or childbirth (mothers, fathers, doctors, etc) should read this book. Kass does an outstanding job of synthesizing the perils of one man who was standing on the cusp of medicine as we know it today. Walter Channing was a prominent physician in Boston during the 19th century who was a pioneer in the use of anaesthesia during childbirth.

I found this book interesting not only because Kass brought an influential (and often forgotten) figure into the limelight, but also because she tied together threads of the social world in Boston and in medicine. Once you finish this book, you almost feel as though you understand what life was like and how difficult it was to provide "high quality" care to patients, particularly women in the 19th century.

This book would be an excellent addition to any course in the history of medicine, but I would also highly recommend it to the lay reader as well as it is accessible to a broad audience.