Catching babies
Subtitle: the professionalization of childbirth, 1870-1920
By: Charlotte G. Borst.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 254
Subjects: Childbirth -- Wisconsin -- History -- 19th century.; Childbirth -- Wisconsin -- History -- 20th century.; Midwifery -- Wisconsin -- History.; Obstetrics -- Wisconsin -- History.; Professions -- Sociological aspects.
Description: Childbirth is a quintessential family event that simultaneously holds great promise and runs the risk of danger. By the late nineteenth century, the birthing room had become a place where the goals of the new scientific professional could be demonstrated, but where traditional female knowledge was in conflict with the new ways. Here the choice of attendants and their practices defined gender, ethnicity, class, and the role of the professional.

Using the methodology of social science theory, particularly quantitative statistical analysis and historical demography, Charlotte Borst examines the effect of gender, culture, and class on the transition to physician-attended childbirth. Catching Babies is the first study to examine the move to physician-attended birth within the context of a particular community. It focuses on four representative counties in Wisconsin to study both midwives and physicians within the context of their community.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [177]-250) and index.