000			01515cam a2200205 4500
001			0801852285
008			090112t1996 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a0801852285
100			_aMarsh, Margaret
245		4	_aThe empty cradle: infertility in America from Colonial times to the present
260			_aBaltimore _bJohns Hopkins University Press _c1996
300			_a326; ill.,bibl.; BookFind
490			_aThe Henry E. Sigerist series in the history of medicine
520			_aHardback
520			_aThis history of infertility, and the social phenomenon of how Americans have reacted to it, describes the emotional and medical experiences of childless couples who seek help for infertility. It utilizes a variety of sources, such as memoirs, patient records, medical textbooks, scholarly journals, personal letters and women's magazines, in order to correct certain assumptions about infertility. Many of the ""modern"" medical techniques used to treat infertility are shown as having been around for a long time - donor insemination was first carried out as early as the mid-19th century, while the first ""ovarian transplantation"" took place in the later 19th century. The role of gender is examined, and the authors argue that although infertility is a condition for which men and women bear equal responsibility, women have been subjected to a disproportionate share of the blame and treatment.
650			_aHISTORY
650			_aINFERTILITY, history
700			_aRonner, Wanda
999			_c81795 _d81795