Citation

Cohen ES. Renaiss. Stud. 2007; 21(4): 480-504.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1477-4658.2007.00459.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Claiming that a disruptive inspection by the College of Apothecaries had caused his wife and co-worker to miscarry and shortly die, a Roman candymaker in 1609 brought criminal charges against six guildsmen. A microanalysis of the trial records tells two linked stories. The first reconstructs tensions between, on the one hand, communal and corporate discipline and, on the other, one master's practices. The second recounts an obstetrical crisis involving self-help and several sorts of medical practitioners. These themes of work, health, public authority, and domesticity intersect within the confines of the artisan's shop and home. To explicate the meanings of these ‘un-separate’ spaces, this case study draws on Michael McKeon's reformulation for the early modern world of the binary, often invoked by scholars, of public and private. His ‘distinction without separation’ better characterizes the experiences of this candymaker and his family. (pp. 480–504)