The Tragedy of Childbed Fever

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Even though this book opens with the chilling tale of Mary Wollstonecraft's death from childbed fever in 1797, the author, a British medical historian and physician, does not focus on women's experiences with the dreaded postpartum infection. His concern, in this interesting and thorough account of the history of puerperal fever, lies rather in uncovering medical thinking about and treatment of the disease, from its early identification in the 18th century to its effective demise (following the introduction of sulfonamides and antibiotics) in the 20th. Loudon's previous books have already demonstrated his acute insight and tenacious research; this book should . . .