The Loss of a way of Life. (History Week Two Thematic Question)

Midwife; a title associated with the "ridiculous" notion of women giving birth in their own homes, a title associated with medical practices done with the hope of success, a title associated with the distant past. Martha Ballard held this title in the late 18th century; she held it and did not associate it with anything else then her everyday life, the life of one of the last true to hold that title. In her lifetime, the associations which have been mentioned were already beginning to form, without her knowledge. Martha Ballard was a midwife; that much is known. Martha Ballard was one of the last true Midwives; that much can be easily concluded. Martha Ballard played an integral part in the survival of her entire community by following a path that would not be possible for many to follow after her; that is the truly meaningful statement.

Midwifes throughout time had held a place of very important role in any given community. They were not only the one's to deliver the children of every pregnant woman in their community, they were also the main source of health care for many societies. The place of a midwife in a community had been vastly unchanged throughout the years when Martha Ballard began her diary. She was, for all intents and purposes, a midwife in the traditional sense of the word. She would be woken at all hours of the night to trod off to perform her duties just as innumerable women had done before her. She would be given a higher standing in society then all most any women could attain in, and before, Martha's time. Martha Ballard was one of the last true midwives.

The main duty associated with Midwifery was, of course, the delivery of children. A Midwife would be tasked with making sure each and every child being brought into this world, did so with as much ease as the process allows. When a Woman went into Labor (and sometimes when she only thought she went into labor) a Midwife was sent for, and then said Midwife would arrive and sit with the woman for as long as it took (sometimes hours). After the baby was delivered the Midwife would make sure that everyone was doing fine, and once that had been established, and then be on her way back home. Every once and a while the midwife would check in on the new mother and her child to again, make sure that every one was in good health.

Making sure everyone was in good health leads to the other major role of a midwife; which was that of healing those that were not in such good health. A midwife provided health care for her community in the form of traditional, and herbal remedies. A Midwife in Martha's time would employ methods of healing which had been used and improved for hundreds of years. She would grow most of the herbs needed in her remedies herself, and administer them herself. Without any need for a formal degree in order to practice, a Midwife could tend to her sick neighbors.

Around the time Martha was writing her diary things were starting to change in the realm of medical practices. She only saw small pieces of it, and couldn't have possibly known what the end result of these small pieces would end up meaning for her profession, or the entire world. There were stirrings in her time that were the beginnings of the very different world of health care that we now know. These stirrings would eventually mean the end of even the possibility of others wanting to follow in Martha's footsteps. Without being aware of it, Martha was a dieing breed.

More often as the Diary goes on Doctors are called to childbirths as opposed to, or as well as Martha. This was one of many signs of the incoming age where doctors would be, practically, the only source of medical care of any kind. The move into the realm of childbirth which was always before considered strictly that of Women, was a major step to the insurance that every form of medical treatment was to be an institutionalized, highly organized, structured event. It was a first step in the abolition of any one's right to provide medical care to people without going through recognized training, and being certified by national standards. This meant, in effect, the end of the entire tradition of the Midwife.

Along with this overturn of medical care to only officially trained men, came the change from traditional handed down remedies, to more "scientific" methods of health care. During Martha's time this was still in it's experimental stage, doctor's were still trying to lay the groundwork for this new system of medicine. This meant a parting from herbal remedies, and plunge into more tools, surgeries, and eventually antibiotics. It was a shifting of focus to discovering why something worked, before assuming it would. This shift in medical practices meant a further investigation into how each and every part of the human body functioned, and how to repair them based on deductive reasoning, and logic.

Midwife; a title Martha Ballard held high, a title that had started losing it's significance by her death, and a title that is hardly ever used in modern society. No longer can someone follow in Martha's footsteps due to the more structured, scientific approach to health care. No longer could a woman be called at all hours of the night to perform deliveries in peoples homes. The time Martha Ballard lived was a last hurrah by those that called themselves Midwives. Martha Ballard was one of the last true holders of that title. She performed deliveries, and tended to the sick, even with the encroaching male doctors on the horizon, waiting for her to falter in order to take control of the entire field. Martha Ballard was, for all intents and purposes, one of the last true Midwives.