Childbirth Flashcards
What is midwifery?
A branch of nursing that helps with childbirth.
What is a midwife?
A nurse who specialises in the care of pregnant women and new born babies, including childbirth.
What is obstetrics?
The branch of medicine that covers childbirth.
What is gynaecology?
The branch of medicine that deals with problems specific to women, but not childbirth.
What doctors were available for women is the early Islamic Arab world?
Female doctors helped with gynaecology and obstetrics.
How were midwives trained in the Christian west?
It was an apprenticeship system (training on the job).
When did doctors and midwives start having some connection in the Christian west?
16th century.
What was Paré’s connection with childbirth?
He covered pregnancy in one of his books - but he also recorded 35 live births from one pregnancy?
When was the earliest surviving book on midwifery written?
1513, by Rösslin.
What was a massive step forward in obstetrics, developed by the Chamberlens family?
Forceps - they fit wither side of baby’s head and can be used to apply traction to help mum.
What unusual thing happened with French midwives in 17th century France?
The elite had a fashion for male midwives, but most people still preferred women.
When did the British school of midwifery open?
1725
What doctor wrote “The theory and practice of midwifery”?
Smellie
How did traditional midwives feel about Smellie’s book “The theory and practice of midwifery”?
They were very sceptical.
What do gravestones and registers of death tell us about childbirth?
It was dangerous, many women died in their 20s, during or soon after pregnancy