Cambridge Reading Group on Reproduction - May

May's meeting will be led by Dr Philippa Carter, Assistant Professor in the History of Medicine and Health before 1800.

When: Tuesday, 13 May, 2025 - 12:30 to 14:30

Where: Room 78, Anatomy Building, Downing Site

RSVP to join

Philippa is a historian of early modern Europe and the Atlantic world (c. 1400–1800), with particular interests in medicine, natural knowledge, belief, and the body. 

Text for discussion

Sonia Wigh, 'Overcoming Childlessness: Narratives of Conception in Early Modern North India', Medical History (early view, 2025): 1–17.

An introduction to the article, from Sonia

The article explores the complex interplay between barrenness and maternal identity in early modern North India, particularly during the Mughal Empire. By utilising a diverse range of medical and erotological sources from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it highlights how societal anxieties surrounding infertility were deeply embedded in the cultural and medical discourses of the time, emphasizing the role of women as procreative agents.

The paper delves into the medical practices of the time, highlighting the emergence of new genres of medical texts that focused on sexual diseases and infertility. I emphasise the importance of understanding the intertextuality of these sources, as they reflect the evolving medical knowledge and cultural attitudes towards reproduction. Most of these texts not only addressed sexual pleasure but also offered medical advice on overcoming infertility. The article highlights specific remedies mentioned in these texts, emphasizing the significance of ingredients and their perceived effects on fertility. I also address the emergence of simpler, more accessible medical texts in the late eighteenth century, which provided straightforward prescriptions for infertility without delving into the underlying causes. This shift possibly suggests a growing need for practical medical knowledge among laypeople, particularly women, who may have sought to address their reproductive health issues independently.
 

Sign up for May's Reading Group

About the Reading Group 

Our reading group provides an interdisciplinary space for engaging discussions on reproduction in all its forms. All welcome, postgraduate and staff! You'll need to be based in Cambridge though as sessions are in person only.  We dive into texts that examine reproduction not only from biological and medical standpoints but also explore cultural, social, ethical, and political dimensions.