working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

282 PROFESSIONS PROFESSIONS 283carried yet further by McMath, who says in the prefaceto " The Expert Midwife " that he has " of purposeomitted a Description of the parts in a woman destinedto Generation, not being absolutely necessary to thispurpose, and lest it might seem execrable to themore chast and shamfaced through Baudiness andImpurity of words ; and have also endeavoured to keepall Modesty, and a due Reverence to Nature: nor amI of the mind with some, as to think there is noDebauchery in the thing, except it may be in theabuse."'The notion that it was indecent for a woman tounderstand the structure and functions of her ownbody fitted in with the doctors' policy of circumscribingthe midwife's sphere ; McMath continues" Natural Labour, where all goes right and naturally,is theproper work of the Midwife, and which she alonemost easily performs aright, being only to sit and attendNature's pace and progress . . . . and performsome other things of smaller moment, which Physiciansgave Midwifes to do, as unnecessary & indicentfor them, and for the Matronal chastity (tho someof Old absurdly assigned them more, and made italso their office to help the Delivery, and not byMedicaments only and others, but Inchantmentsals~.)."~Clearly in a profession which often holds in itshands the balance between life and death, thosemembers who are debarred from systematic study andtraining must inev;tably give way sooner or laterto those who have access to all the sources of learning,but the influences which were prejudicing women'sposition in midwifery during the seventeenth centurywere not wholly founded on such reasonablegrounds ; they were also affected by much moreMcMath (Mr. James, M.D.). 7be Expert Mid-wife.P Ibid.general, undefined and subtle causes. It may evenbe doubted whether the superior knowledge of theseventeenth century doctor actually secured a largermeasure of safety to the mother who entrusted herselfto his management than was attained by those whoconfided in the skill of an experienced and intelligentmidwife. Chamberlain admits that the practice ofdoctors " not onely in England but thoughoutEurope; . . . . hath very much caused thereport, that where a-man comes; one or both [motheror child] must necessarily dye ; and makes many forthat reason forbear sending, until1 either be dead ordying."* He continues " my Father, Brothers andmyself (though none else in Europe that I know) haveby God's blessing, and our industry, attained to,and long practised a way to deliver a woman in thiscase without any prejudice to her or her Infant."The discovery to which Chamberlain refers wasthe use of forceps, which he and his family retainedas a profound secret. Therefore this invention didnot rank among the advantages which other doctorspossessed over midwives at this period. Even when,a century later, the use of forceps became generallyunderstood, the death rate in childbed was notmaterially reduced, for it was only with the discoveryof the value of asepsis that this heavy sacrifice wasdiminished. We must therefore look for the explanationof the growing ascendancy of male practitionersto other causes beside the hypothetical standardof their greater efficiency. Their prestige restedpartly on an ability to use long words which con-vinced patients of their superior wisdom ; it wasdefended by what was fast becoming a powerfulcorporation; and more potent in its effect wasthe general deterioration in the position of womenwhich took place during the century.A lessening- - -- -Chamberlain (Hugh). Accomplkkt Midwifa : Epistk to Readcr.