Vividly tracing the evolution of Caesarean birth from the early 1300s (when the operation was performed almost exclusively by midwives) through the Renaissance period (when midwives were considered witches and male surgeons took control), Blumenfeld-Kosinski does more than provide an engrossingly accessible, historical account of the now-commonplace procedure?she unveils the roots of a medical misogyny that still prevails today. In "Not of Woman Born," Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski examines cultural and medical representations of cesarean sections in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. She analyzes how this procedure, originally performed by midwives, was gradually adopted by male surgeons. The book illuminates the underlying gender dynamics and shifts in power within medical practice, marginalizing midwives and politicizing the procedure. Through art, literature, and medical texts, Blumenfeld-Kosinski offers insights into the historical roots of gender inequality in medicine.