“A fascinating look at medical practices and those who suffered them in the antebellum South.”—Charlotte Observer

Sally G. McMillen has written an enthralling account of the childbearing and rearing responsibilities that consumed, often literally, the lives of women in the Old South. She explores the social, political, and medical influences of the time that led women to assume fervently the full responsibility for their “sacred occupation” and examines how a woman’s maternal role ensured her value within the family and the greater society.