The Empty Cradle: Infertility in America from Colonial Times to the Present

An exploration into the origins of the many misconceptions surrounding infertility and examination of how medical and cultural beliefs emerged throughout the history of infertility. Drawing on a variety of sources - including intimate diaries and letters, patient records, memoirs, medical literature and popular magazines - the authors investigate the social, cultural, scientific and medical dimensions of infertility over the past 300 years. The authors discuss reactions - among both physicians and husbands - to the emerging scientific evidence that infertility was a condition for which men and women bear equal responsibility. The book concludes that infertility is still a subject affected by myth and misunderstanding. The work seeks to present a useful perspective to current debates about how we should think about and address the experience of infertility in our own time.