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History of Obstetrics

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The history of obstetrics is the study of the development and evolution of childbirth practices, maternal care, and the medical understanding of pregnancy and delivery throughout different cultures and time periods, examining the social, scientific, and ethical implications of obstetric practices.
lightbulbAbout this topic
The history of obstetrics is the study of the development and evolution of childbirth practices, maternal care, and the medical understanding of pregnancy and delivery throughout different cultures and time periods, examining the social, scientific, and ethical implications of obstetric practices.

Key research themes

1. How did the medicalization and professionalization of childbirth evolve, and what were the gender dynamics involved?

This theme investigates the historical process by which childbirth, traditionally a female-led practice assisted by midwives, became a medically dominated field, primarily controlled by male physicians. It considers the shifts in authority, training, and practice between traditional midwives, graduated midwives, and male obstetricians across different countries and centuries. Understanding these dynamics is vital to comprehend how obstetrics as a medical specialty emerged and the gendered implications of this transition.

Key finding: This study demonstrates that the 'graduated midwife' in 19th-century Brazil served as a historical intermediary between traditional female midwives and male physicians, combining scientific training with the caregiving female... Read more
Key finding: This article traces the appropriation of childbirth by male physicians in America from the mid-19th century, documenting how pregnancy and delivery were redefined as medical and surgical events. It highlights the societal... Read more
Key finding: Complementing similar research on medicalization, this analysis identifies how male dominance in obstetrics was solidified through systematic societal changes including urbanization, hospital establishment, and medical... Read more
Key finding: This archival study illustrates the secularization and formalization of midwifery training in early 19th-century Italy under Napoleonic reforms. It documents the transition from empirical local midwives to state-trained... Read more

2. What role did technological innovations and emerging medical practices play in shaping obstetric authority and interventions from the 17th to the 20th century?

This theme focuses on the introduction and evolution of obstetric technologies—such as forceps, vacuum extractors, caesarean sections, and early scientific contraceptive testing—and their impact on clinical practice, medical authority, and childbirth outcomes. It addresses how these technological developments influenced physician power in the birthing room, shifted the perception of childbirth as a medicalized event, and shaped health policies internationally.

Key finding: This historical review traces the invention and progressive refinement of the obstetric forceps from its 17th-century origins with the Chamberlen family through the introduction of pelvic curves and axis-traction. It also... Read more
Key finding: This paper reveals the rarely studied history of postmortem cesarean sections reflected in rabbinic sources, evidencing early discourse on surgical delivery and neonatal salvage. It identifies four stages of rabbinic... Read more
Key finding: This research identifies the Family Planning Association's pioneering role in creating 'contraceptive science' prior to the advent of the oral contraceptive pill, involving the establishment of standardized efficacy, safety,... Read more
Key finding: This study analyzes the consolidation of physician authority in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through technological advances such as antisepsis, forceps use, and emergent surgical procedures like craniotomy. It... Read more
Key finding: Providing critical historiographical reassessment, this paper questions the celebrated status of man-midwives Smellie and Hunter by linking their anatomical discoveries to the procurement of numerous undelivered bodies via... Read more

3. How have national health policies and cultural contexts influenced the medicalization and management of childbirth over the 19th and 20th centuries?

This theme addresses the interplay between health authority initiatives, socio-political factors, cultural attitudes, and institutional policies in shaping childbirth practices and the extent of medical intervention. It tracks specific country-level case studies exploring attempts to regulate obstetric interventions, control medicalization, and their outcomes amid evolving maternal mortality trends.

Key finding: Examining Spain's early 20th-century health authority responses to obstetric medicalization, this research reveals that despite governmental attempts to curb unnecessary interventions such as induced labor and surgical... Read more
Key finding: This empirical study traces Greece's transition from childbirth care dominated by traditional, largely untrained midwives (mammis) before the 1950s to one of Europe's most highly medicalized obstetric systems by the early... Read more
Key finding: By following a Polish-American community physician-midwife network in Milwaukee during the early 20th century, this paper reveals how general practitioners embedded within ethnic communities facilitated the translation of... Read more
Key finding: Extending the analysis of Spanish health policy, this work further documents the ineffectiveness of official strategies implemented even decades later to reduce excessive obstetric interventions. It provides data showing... Read more

All papers in History of Obstetrics

Analizamos las primeras patentes registradas por mujeres en la provincia de Granada, intentando encontrar pistas que nos lleven a conocer las innovaciones realizadas por estas emprendedoras, que se esforzaron por mejorar el trabajo de los... more
IiAfrica fomana Le rì..hezzc dcll'A&icà. Risose, prcduzioni, scambi ^ùi dcl x\r .onvÈsno li su.lio s §ill( rr rr lticonLre,06 Juliin G.nzincz, Pùh ltuss.ri, (iinzid Vismùr c lìtrnnoml. 2r.., @ Silvia Bullo Echi di tradizioni o enraìi neÌ... more
Цель исследования состоит в изучении материальной культуры родовспоможения в Новой и Новейшей истории России. Среди важнейших задач — вовлечение в научный оборот российского эмпирического материала, чтобы на примере предметов материальной... more
Impreso en España Cualquier forma de reproducción, distribución, comunicación pública o transformación de esta obra sólo puede ser realizada con la autorización de sus titulares, salvo excepción prevista por la ley.
The authors study the institutionalization of midwife specialization among women in Russia in the period from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. The main sources are legislative acts, clerical documents, as well as reports on the... more
Desde comienzos del siglo XX , los auxiliares de farmacia españoles trataron –sin éxito– de reivindicar un título que les concediera prestigio social y les protegiera como profesionales sanitarios; sus reivindicaciones estaban legitimadas... more
En este trabajo exponemos las reivindicaciones y los proyectos de los auxiliares de farmacia españoles en favor de un título que les capacitara profesionalmente, al igual que sucedía con otras profesiones regladas equivalentes... more
Se estudia la implantación de la jornada de ocho horas (1919) en las oficinas de farmacia españolas, así como los antecedentes legislativos que condujeron a ella: ley de descanso dominical y ley reguladora de la dependencia mercantil.... more
Si bien la asistencia a la mujer en su diferentes etapas del parto corre a cargo de los enfermeros especialistas en obstetricia y ginecología (matronas), cualquier personal sanitario puede verse involucrado en la asistencia a un parto que... more
Antes de la llegada de la globalización la cartelería jugaba un papel fundamental como herramienta propagandística y con ella pretendían crear un discurso político en el caso de los conflictos bélicos. Las mujeres no fueron excluidas de... more
Il 2 dicembre 2023 si è svolta a Udine la "Giornata di Studi Multidisciplinare Internazionale su Primissima infanzia in paleopatologia", promossa e organizzata dalla Sezione di anatomia e storia della medicina del Dipartimento di Area... more
La hegemonía de la que gozó Unión Radio dentro de la parcela de la radiodifusión desde su nacimiento, en 1925, hasta el golpe de Estado de julio de 1936 hace que todas las miradas en materia de depuración de este sector se dirijan hacia... more
The authors study the institutionalization of midwife specialization among women in Russia in the period from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. The main sources are legislative acts, clerical documents, as well as reports on the... more
Documento resumen sobre la vida y obra de D. Álvaro López Núñez. Incluye su bibliografía.
A multicenter, cross-sectional observational study (Italian GENder Differences in Awareness of Cardiovascular risk, IGENDA study) was carried out to evaluate the perception and knowledge of cardiovascular risk among Italian women. An... more
El objetivo principal de este artículo es clarificar los orígenes y la fecha de fundación del actual Colegio de Enfermería de Ciudad Real y su provincia, surgido inicialmente el 21 de marzo de 1913 como Colegio de Practicantes. Para ello... more
fechada en el Buen Retiro, indica: […] que el R Hosp se halla en la executoriada Posesion de poder privativa y perpetuamente, por si, ô quien su facultad tenga, imprimir, y vender en todos los Dominios de españa el Arte de Antonio de... more
The term medicalization has been defined as the process by which non-medical issues come to be defined and treated as medical problems. There are no better examples of this than pregnancy and childbirth. Prior to the intervention of... more
En este estudio vamos a abordar los principales hechos acontecidos durante el periodo de la Guerra Civil española y la posguerra (1936-1949), marcados por la crisis del momento y los cambios normativos que supusieron modificaciones en la... more
The training of midwives in recent years has been consistent with the development of technology, the growing demands of the field of obstetric services, from patients and legislative changes, but, nevertheless, the emphasis has not yet... more
Lehrbuch für Hebammenstudierende mit 1) umfassender Einführung in die Hebammengeschichte, 2) Exkursen zu diversen Themen aus der Geschichte der Geburtshilfe und der Hebammen-Fachsprache, 3) Kursus der Medizinischen Fachsprache... more
The medicalisation of childbirth is a worldwide trend, that has its roots in past centuries. Despite being a widely studied phenomenon, the attempts taken to prevent its spread have rarely been addressed. This research presents the... more
Durante quarenta e cinco anos, Elysio de Azevedo e Moura [1877-1977] construiu uma sólida carreira profissional repartida entre a Faculdade de Medicina e os Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra. Enquanto a genialidade académica e a... more
La figura del médico rural resulta imprescindible para conocer la organización y las políticas en materia sanitaria que fueron desarrolladas en la España franquista. Históricamente, habida cuenta de las características propias del ámbito... more
La historiografía de la Enfermería Gaditana nos remite a los orígenes de su organización colegial, principios del siglo XX. Los datos obtenidos para la reconstrucción histórica profesional proceden principalmente de la revista que el... more
The medicalisation of childbirth is a worldwide trend, that has its roots in past centuries. Despite being a widely studied phenomenon, the attempts taken to prevent its spread have rarely been addressed. This research presents the... more
El grupo de primates al que pertenece nuestra especie muestra mayoritariamente un ciclo de actividad diurno, de tal manera que los partos se inician de noche y se completan de madrugada o en las primeras horas de la mañana. La... more
Partecipazione con relazione su “Società plurali e nuove frontiere nella medicina interconfessionale delle migrazioni” alla tavola rotonda del convegno su “La relazione tra la donna in gravidanza, il ginecologo e l’ostetrica. Percorsi tra... more
RESUMEN-En los últimos años se ha avanzado mucho en el estudio de la historia de género y también en el alcance de la represión sufrida por las mujeres durante y después de la guerra civil. Aquí vamos a centrarnos en un aspecto hasta... more
Graeco-Roman medicine bequeathed empirical observation as the paradigm for interpreting diseases due to natural causes. Th e eff ectiveness of those treatments has since been investigated. However, magical aspects of treatment largely... more
From Medical Officers to Family Doctors: Historical and Training Paths This article reconstructs the historical path, which passes from medical officers to family doctors-today's general practitioners-between the 19 th and 20 th... more
The objective of this work is to examine the serious consequences the Spanish Civil War of 1936 had on the professional midwifery collective, exclusively made up of women in these historic times. In spite of the difficulties faced upon... more
Buried in Cantarini's obscure work, in a section peripheral to the main theme of the book, we find a vivid and poetic description of a tragic incident relating to anatomical dissection.[4] Viewed in isolation, this incident merits... more
se ha sumado a las conmemoraciones llevadas a cabo con motivo del bicentenario de la Guerra de la Independencia española, presentando una selección de documentos que proporcionan una perspectiva de este momento histórico desde diferentes... more
This study explores the genesis of the presence of the fetus in American culture by examining the evolution of American medical attitudes towards the unborn (1800-1865) in the lead up to the Physicians Crusade Against Abortion in the mid... more
Hace trescientos años nació en una aldea de Tarragona un hombre que resultó singular para el progreso de la Cirugía ilustrada española y para el Cuerpo de Sanidad de la Armada, Pere Virgili Bellver. Con este motivo en el presente año han... more
Cultura de los Cuidados Las Matronas de la Beneficencia Municipal y su atención a las mujeres pobres de Málaga (1900-1956) As Parteiras de Assistência Municipal e atenção às mulheres pobres de Málaga (1900-1956) The Municipal Welfare... more
A multicenter, cross-sectional observational study (Italian GENder Differences in Awareness of Cardiovascular risk, IGENDA study) was carried out to evaluate the perception and knowledge of cardiovascular risk among Italian women. An... more
The authors study the institutionalization of midwife specialization among women in Russia in the period from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. The main sources are legislative acts, clerical documents, as well as reports on the... more
RESUMEN El objetivo del presente artículo es orientar a los investigadores interesados en la historia de la neurología hacia la documentación que pudiera encontrarse en el Archivo General de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (AGUCM)... more
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