The Trial of a Cause: Between Richard Maddox, Gent., Plaintiff, and Dr. M—y, Defendant, Physician and Man-Midwife

Originally published in the eighteenth century, The Trial of a Cause by H. Jefferys records one of the most sensational courtroom proceedings of its time—a public dispute between Richard Maddox, gentleman, and Dr. M—y, a physician and man-midwife whose professional conduct and personal reputation became the subject of fierce legal and moral scrutiny.

Presented as an authentic trial transcript, the work exposes the ethical controversies surrounding man-midwifery, then a new and contentious medical practice in England. Through witness testimony, legal argument, and vivid exchanges, Jefferys reveals the era’s clash between traditional female midwifery and emerging male medical authority, as well as the social anxieties surrounding honor, modesty, and medical propriety.

Beyond its scandalous intrigue, the book stands as a rare historical document illuminating the intersection of law, medicine, and gender in the Georgian age—when the birthing room became a battleground for both science and morality.

Complete edition of H. Jefferys’s 18th-century courtroom account

Chronicles a landmark legal dispute involving a man-midwife

Explores the social and moral tensions of early modern medical practice

Essential for readers of legal history, gender studies, and medical ethics