The Life and Legacy of Martha Ballard

This chapter explores the remarkable life of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife who delivered over a thousand babies without losing a mother. The speakers reflect on their discovery of her story and the challenges of writing a novel based on her diary entries amidst the historical context of midwifery and emerging medical practices. It also addresses the interactions between male doctors and female midwives, as well as the significance of representing positive male figures in literature.