Books/chapters and articles about
midwifery history
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Anonymous 1985 Royal College of Midwives Library: a select reading list. A history of midwifery and the RCM Midwives Chronicle 98(1169 RCM Suppl):vii-viii, Jun.
Baker M 1993 War babies Nursing Times 11(89) 42-3; Aug 11.
A retired nurse and midwife recalls the delivery of a baby during a black-out with German bombers overhead and other reminiscences of the second world war.
Barlow Y 1994 Childbirth: management of labour through the ages Nursing Times 90(35) 41-3; Aug.
An examination of the management of labour looking particularly at the emergence of invasive techniques in childbirth and the development of pain management.
Benge M, 1984 Midwifery history: how to bring away the after-burden... how the third stage of labour was managed in the days of Aristotle Nursing Times 80(41) 10-16.
Clatworthy P 1991 Babies in the blackout Nursing Times 87(7) 40-1; Feb. 13.
A retired nurse and midwife describes midwifery training and work during the second world war.
Donnison J. 1988 Midwives and medical men: A history of the struggle for the control of childbirth (2nd ed). New Barnet, Historical Publications. ISBN 0948667001.
Donnison CJ. 1977 Midwives and medical men: A History of Interprofessional Rivalries and Women�s rights London, Heinemann Educational.
Fleming V, 1998 Autonomous or automatons? An exploration through history of the concept of autonomy in midwifery in Scotland and New Zealand Nursing Ethics: an International Journal for Health Care Professionals 5(1):43-51, Jan.
Midwives are frequently heard to describe themselves as autonomous practitioners, and this is refuted. The notion of autonomy in relation to midwifery practice in Scotland and New Zealand is critiqued through the history of midwives and midwifery in these two countries. Issues relating to midwifery registration, medicalisation of birth and consumerism are discussed which it is suggested limits autonomous practice within midwifery.
Iveson-Iveson J, 1982 History of nursing. Roots: the eighteenth century: interest in midwifery and maternal care Nursing Mirror 154:40-3, May 5.
Kovac G, 1998 Grandmother was a midwife Midwifery Today with International Midwife (45):52, Spring.
Fleming S 1988 Musings on midwifery Archaeology (41): 69
Fox E. 1995 Midwifery in England and Wales before 1936: handywomen and doctors International History of Nursing Journal 1(2):17-28, Autumn.
Illegal midwifery in the 1920s and 1930s remains poorly understood. Midwives' statutory regulation began with the Midwives Act of 1902. The licensing body for England and Wales: the Central Midwives Board, enrolled midwives with approved qualifications and, those who were untrained but established as being in practice before legislation. The Act prohibited midwifery by the untrained "handywomen" on whom many poorer women had formerly relied.
Hannam J, 1994-1995 Rosalind Paget: class, gender and the Midwives' Institute c1886-1914... Rosalind Paget was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1934 History of Nursing Society Journal 5(3):133-???
Rosalind Paget shaped the policies of the Royal College of Midwives and influenced the nature of midwifery. Hannam suggests that questions can be raised about the development of the RCM and midwifery as an area of work for women.
Litoff J, 1982 The midwife throughout history Journal of Nurse-Midwifery 27(6):3-11, Nov-Dec.
Minkowski WL, 1992 Women healers of the Middle Ages: selected aspects of their history American Journal of Public Health 82(2):288-95, Feb.
Little is known of the role of women as healers during the Middle. European universities, for the most part, excluded women, thereby creating a male monopoly in medicine. Bared as legal healers, women waged a lengthy battle to maintain their right to care for the sick. The result was the brutal persecution of unknown, mostly, peasant women.
Marshall R, 1983 Birth of a profession: The 650-year history of midwifery in Scotland Nursing Mirror 157(22 Midwifery Forum 10):i-vii, Nov 30.
Owen G 1992 Training in the twenties Nursing Times 88(3) 49-50; Jan 15. The author describes her route to qualifying as a fever nurse, general nurse and midwife, from making beds to working in an ambulance during a smallpox epidemic.
Raisler J, 1994 The International Confederation of Midwives: past history, present activities, and future challenges Journal of Nurse-Midwifery 39(5):326-8, Sep-Oct.
The International Confederation of Midwives is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 1994. The Confederation is composed of 61 member associations from 50 countries and includes more than 100,000 midwives. Raisler reviews the history and current activities of the Confederation, and discusses future challenges for the organisation.
Sinclair M, 1996 History. William Smellie and midwifery practice in 1765 Modern Midwife 6(9):26-9, Sep.
A discussion on William Smellie's influential eighteenth century midwifery book.
Southern J, 1998 On trial: women healers Midwifery Today with International Midwife (45):35-9, Spring.
Books:
Allan P & Jolley M, 1982 Nursing, midwifery and health visiting since 1900 Faber, London, [ISBN 0571118399].
Ehenreich B, English D 1973 Witches, midwives and nurses: A history of women healers The Feminist Press, New York.
Fildes V, 1988 Wet nursing : a history from antiquity to the present Basil Blackwell, Oxford [ISBN 0631158316].
Hughes M 1968 Women healers in medieval life and literature Books for Libraries Press, New York.
Marland H (Ed.), 1993 The Art of midwifery: early modern midwives in Europe (The Wellcome Institute series in the history of medicine) Routledge, London [ISBN 0415064252].
Radcliffe W, 1967 Milestones in midwifery Wright, Bristol [ISBN z0083173].
Rhodes P, 1995 A short history of clinical midwifery :the development of ideas in the professional management of childbirth Cheshire (Books for Midwives), Hale [ISBN 1898507228].
Smellie W, 1974 A treatise on the theory and practice of midwifery Scolar Press, London [ISBN 0702005223].
Wilson, A 1995 The making of man-midwifery: childbirth in England 1660-1770 UCL Press, London [ISBN 1857282922].
Book chapters:
Cochrane J. 1996 An illustrated history of medicine Tiger Books International, London [ISBN 1855018098].
Although written for the non-professional this book contains interesting artwork and information. Midwifery is discussed through pages 103-13 and includes a number of plates showing childbirth through the ages. Nursing is also noted: nurse helping a doctor bleed a patient - pale from blood loss, pg. 25. An 18 Century caricature, pg. 93. A description of the work of Nightingale.
Alphia Garrety (Ba. Hons.)
PhD. Candidate
School of Sociology and Justice Studies
Bankstown Campus, University of Western Sydney
UWS Locked Bag 1797
South Penrith Distribution Centre
NSW 1797 Australia
Phone: 02 97726628
Fax: 02 97726584
