The Art of Midwifery

Drawing on a considerable range of archival material from six countries, the contributors aim to show the diversity in midwives' practices, competence, socio-economic background and education, as well as their public function and image.

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The absorption of midwifery into medical practice is a recent development. In the western world this process has been linked to the diminishing role of the midwife, the greater involvement of male doctors in childbirth, and increasing hospitalization. However, while midwifery is recognized as a long-established female occupation, historians have focused on the decline of the midwife's prominence in obstetric work from the 19th century onwards. This book examines the profession of midwifery in the early modern period. It explores the period before the "decline" and challenges some of the long-held beliefs about the life, work and knowledge of midwives, as well as their place in public life. Drawing on a range of manuscript and printed sources from England, Holland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, the contributors reveal that the early modern period was a time of great diversity in midwives' status and practice throughout Europe. This period was neither a Golden Age for midwives, nor was it a time when midwifery was practised by aged, unskilled crones.