James North quotes passages from Martha Ballard in his History of Augusta . Louis Pasteur identifies streptococcus as the cause of puerperal fever. 1884 Mary Hobart graduates from The Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary and inherits her great-great grandmother Martha Ballard's diary. Charles Everton Nash abridges Martha Ballard's diary for his history of Augusta. Dr. Mary Hobart donates Martha's original diary to the Maine State Library.
Researchers discover the antibiotic properties of sulphonamides.
Penicillin isolated as an antibiotic. 1982 Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's book Good Wives is published. A Midwife's Tale is published. Producer Laurie Kahn-Leavitt contacts Laurel Ulrich about making a film of the diary. A Midwife's Tale wins the Pulitzer Prize.