Midwifery, 1700–1800: The Man-Midwife as Competitor

Chapter 8. Language, labour and ideology

“…The earliest midwifery treatises (by both men and women) put much stock in moral character as a necessary precursor to being a capable midwife, whereas the man-midwives rarely if ever consider their own moral dispositions as relevant to their pracice: all that matters is technical/scientific knowledge and experience. The use of instruments proceeds along less gendered lines, as both pro and anti-movements consisted of both men and women; religious and political affiliation were just as likely to be deciding factors in one's position on the matter as gender was (see, for example, Harley 1993, Wilson 1995, Lieske 2007, King 2012. What I hoped to have demonstrated here is the nuanced ideological developments in this field, and how this can be accessed linguistically.…”

Epistemic space and key concepts in early and late modern medical discourse: an exploration of two genres

“…These two phenomena led to an ever-increasing male presence in prenatal care and normal birthing contexts, so much so that by the end of the eighteenth century, the medicalisation of normal childbirth was in full swing (Wilson 1995). Consequently, the eighteenth century witnessed a substantial increase in the publication of midwifery treatises penned by men who now had extensive first-hand experience in normal childbirth (Lieske 2007-9), guided by empirical scientific knowledge rather than the lesser-valued empathetic, experiential knowledge of female midwives (good overviews of midwifery in early modern England are provided by Fissell 2004;Hanson 2004: 16-50;Keller 2007;King 2012;Allison 2021).…”

Matthew Flinders Senior (1751–1802): Surgeon and ‘man midwife’

“…7 Thus originated the role of the man-midwife, applied to men, usually surgeons, who added the role of midwifery to their practice. By the end of the 1700s, it was no longer considered improper for men to routinely be present at childbirth; indeed it may have been seen as ‘a badge of gentility for at least some families from the upper and middling classes’ 8 (p. 121). It is estimated that by the end of the century, only around half of the births in England and Wales were delivered by female midwives in the women’s homes, with the other half being delivered by male practitioners, also in the women’s homes.…”

“…Their access to education was restricted and the dissemination of medical knowledge was increasingly controlled by male doctors, although women did not necessarily acquiesce quietly. 8,9,11 Female midwives, even when literate, were rarely allowed to read the childbirth texts being written for male practitioners. 12 The encroaching of men into the domain of midwifery left poorer rewards for midwives and meant the numbers of better educated women who might have previously invested in learning to enter the profession declined.…”

“…One might expect that surgeons would willingly take on the man-midwife role, because of their familiarity with the use of instruments, drugs and operative procedures; however, many surgeons were reluctant to do so in the belief that it was beneath their social status. Although some surgeons, including the notable William Smellie, 8 and physicians, became esteemed man-midwives, many physicians thought that taking on the role would mean neglecting their other patients or that midwifery still lacked the academic standing that medicine deserved. 17 Midwifery, although it was still perceived by many surgeons and physicians as non-scientific, was a way that male practitioners could establish their practices.…”