When did the field of obstetrics begin?

[swissmiss2584]

I was wondering when did obstetrics begin? I thought it started at the turn of the century but can't find it on the Internet.

[Jaimee]

I think it probably depends on what exactly you mean by "obstetrics." Ina May says in her Guide to Childbirth that the techno-medical model of maternity care has been around for about two centuries- a product of the industrial revolution.

[mamatolevi]

I think thats covered in Pushed by Jennifer Block, but i can't remember the details!

[Buzzer Beater]

Tina Cassidy: The Surprising History of How We Are Born is a great read.

[mwherbs]

Modern obstetrics or historic- so around 1500 the first cesarean section on a live woman and then there there was those French barber surgeon brothers who invented forceps in the 1600's, in many societies men were called in to lend a hand in the cases of obstructed labor- so could almost be as old as history in that sense- which is probably why they started trying to invent tools-but they were mostly occasional attendants --
wide spread use of obstetrics in this country was about 100 years ago --

[swissmiss2584]

I think I mean, when did the field of obstetrics in offices and hospitals begin? When did it switch from midwives to OBs. At one point men were not allowed in deliveries so when did it change from a normal bodily act to a medical situation. I hope I'm making sense. I think I'm all mixed up. Hahahaha

[Drummer's Wife]

1930's? 1940's?

I'm trying to remember from The Business of Being Born. They talked about the progression from midwives assisting homebirths --> OB's attending in hospitals.

I'm thinking my grandmother was born at home, when it was common (1920's?) but by the time my mom was born in 1950, hospitals were the norm.

[mwherbs]

I am going to say just for America, because many countries although obstetrics developed it did not take over the care of normal birthing women to any extent until very recent history--
but here in the US the docs started really pushing to get rid of the "midwife problem" right around 1900 and according to a president's committee publication I have from 1935(this publication is about Obstetric Education)
here are a couple quotes--
"Altogether, nearly 15 per cent of the births in the United States are delivered by midwives and others who are not physicians. By states, and percentage of births attended by midwives varies from none in some states to between 40 and 50 per cent in others. In general, the states with the highest percentage of midwife deliveries are the southern states with their large Negro population. "
There are some quotes later that talk about New Mexico, because of so few docs and Mexican population) it goes on to say that the ultimate solution would be to have more OB schools.
and to give you a for instance of how much they had been able to trim the midwife population to this point- by the way the reports are written you see that some health departments liked and wanted midwives to continue but some/many just hated midwives.-- over all there was a concerted push to get rid of midwives and heated discussions between doctors when it came to supporting midwives at all-- in the southern states at this time the midwives had 1/2 the maternal mortality that the doctors had, and yet they still got rid of most of the midwives.
" You cannot eliminate the midwife. She is a necessity. She is a blessing to those who need her and who must depend on her. In Georgia, midwives deliver about one-third of the babies born in the state. When supervision was undertaken in 1922, we found approximately 9,000 midwives practicing in our state. The process of elimination of the very old and the unfit has reduced this number to a little over 3,000. We are not making new midwives, but we are trying to distribute them properly and keep only the best in practice. The time is coming however, when we must consider giving instruction to others."

is this what you were looking for?

[Kidzaplenty]

[Serenyd]

Originally Posted by mwherbs

I am going to say just for America, because many countries although obstetrics developed it did not take over the care of normal birthing women to any extent until very recent history--
but here in the US the docs started really pushing to get rid of the "midwife problem" right around 1900.
is this what you were looking for?

I remember reading about this in one of my nursing books. MDs started a slur campaign against midwives, portraying them to the public as dirty and ignorant, then after stealing the midwives' business, proceeded to increase the maternal/infant mortality rates by spreading disease to mothers and newborns with their poor hygiene.