Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society The History of the C-section
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Jun 24, 2025 In this chat, Hannah Marsh, author of 'Thread, A Cesarean Story of Myth, Magic, and Medicine', unfolds the bloody history of C-sections. She traces their evolution from risky 16th-century procedures to safer modern practices, spotlighting the resilience of women like Mrs. Newfer, who thrived post-surgery. The conversation digs into societal pressures, the myths surrounding childbirth, and the historical shift from midwifery to male-dominated obstetrics, revealing a legacy intertwined with issues of race and gender.
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Hannah Marsh's Personal Cesarean Story
- Hannah Marsh shares her personal experience of an unexpected emergency cesarean after a long induced labor.
- She struggled physically and emotionally but found healing through researching the history and real meaning of C-sections.
Origin and Naming of Cesarean Section
- Caesarean section originated as a posthumous procedure to save infants after mothers died in childbirth.
- Julius Caesar was likely not born by C-section; the name probably derives from Latin or a Roman law, not the man.
Jakob Neuffer's Lifesaving Cesarean
- The story of Jakob Neuffer, a pig gelder, performing one of the first successful cesareans where both mother and baby survived.
- His wife's survival and subsequent vaginal births were extraordinary given the era's risks.