First Advisor

Ann Weikel

Term of Graduation

January 2021

Date of Publication

1988

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.) in History

Department

History

Language

English

Subjects

Obstetrics -- England -- History

DOI

10.15760/etd.5677

Physical Description

1 online resource (249 p.)

Abstract

Until the sixteenth century, childbirth in England was the exclusive domain of women and was orchestrated by the female midwife. By the end of the seventeenth century, university-educated and church-approved male physicians were systematically beginning to usurp the midwife's role in the lying-in room and to gradually assume authority and power over the process of childbirth. Ultimately doctordominated childbirth threatened, and in some places accomplished, the displacement of the midwife. No one factor was responsible for the shift in delivery room personnel nor was the transition from female midwives to male obstetricians a "natural" one. This thesis looks at three factors which contributed to the success of the transition: first, midwifery practices and the criticism of them by male medical practitioners; second, the association of midwifery and witchcraft; and third, the failure of attempts, particularly in the seventeenth century, to educate and regulate midwives at a time when the male medical profession was doing just that.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Comments

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Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/21238

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