Model Mothers: Jewish Mothers and Maternity Provision in East London, 1870-1939

by Lara V. Marks

Overview

In late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Britain there was deep concern about the perceived physical and military deterioration of the nation, reflected in the diminishing birth rate, persistently high infant mortality, and the poor health of the working class. Many medical practitioners and politicians believed that Jewish mothers were "model mothers" whose exemplary care of their children offered a solution to these problems. Lara Marks assesses the extent to which the stereotype of Jewish mothers reflected the reality of their experience in East London between 1870 and 1939. Not only did they have to cope with extreme poverty, but as newly arrived immigrants they had to deal with linguistic and cultural barriers and the unfamiliarity of local medical facilities. Model Mothers makes important contributions to our knowledge of maternal and infant care in this period and to our understanding of the interactions between ethnicity and health-care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198204541
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/28/1994
Series:	Oxford Historical Monographs
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 8.75(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

University of London

Table of Contents

	List of Figures	x
	List of Maps	xiii
	List of Tables	xiv
	Abbreviations	xix
	Introduction	1
1.	Background: Immigration and Settlement	11
2.	The Health of Jewish Infants and Mothers in East London	43
3.	Familial, Neighbourhood, and Communal Resources for Childbirth	92
4.	Local Voluntary Hospitals and Maternity Care	129
5.	Poor Law Institutions and Maternity Care	179
6.	Domiciliary and Dispensary Maternity Provision	226
	Bibliography	275
	Index	311

Editorial Reviews

"Model Mothers tells a fascinating story, sympathetically and accessibly."—The Women's Review of Books

From the Publisher