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Jason Alexander A Midwife’s Tale Martha Ballard was a strong brave mother who was married to Ephraim Ballard in 1754 and gave birth to 9 children while preparing to become a midwife. These children were born in 1756, 58,61,63,65,67,69,72 and 1779, and the deaths of three of her children were in 1769. She also fought the deadliest disease of the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s called scarlet fever. The symptoms of this fatal disease were sore throat and rashes, it was known by Martha as the canker rash, there were no antibiotics to use because this was before the germ theory was discovered. Martha though, was well versed in “manufacturing salves, syrups, pills, and ointments, how to prepare an oil emulsion which she called oil mulge, how to poultice wounds, dress burns, treat dysentery, sore throats, frostbite, measles, colic, hoping cough, chin cough, St. Citas dance, Flying pains, the salt rhume, how to cut in infants tongue administer enema, lance an abscessed breast, apply a blister or a back plaster, induce vomiting, assuage bleeding, reduce swelling, and relieve a toothache, as well as delivering a baby.” While Martha was out trying to help keep everyone healthy, Ephraim her husband, was out surveying land all over Maine. He was doing this with only a compass and a pad of paper while being gone for weeks at a time. Martha personally had delivered a child during the scarlet fever epidemic while many mothers lost her children during this terrible time. Martha was well known for taking care of many women during there pregnancies. She delivered 816 children between 1785 and 1812. Though during this time Martha does not mention abortion but births out of wedlock were relatively common and were talked about quite often. Without this documentation of her live we would know nothing of this tremendous woman who helped so many others and asked for nothing in return. During this time period title 9 was not a thought in anyone’s mind. One of the examples that was most prevalent for midwives was they could not perform “scientific dissections” which is termed in this day in age as a surgical procedure; however, male physicians would invite midwives to observe this procedure.
Approximate Word count = 1428
Approximate Pages = 5.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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