Although the term first appeared in 1631, the ‘man-midwife’ was an 18th century phenomenon. During this period surgeons and physicians attempted to medicalise pregnancy and childbirth, and the numbers of men entering the field gathered apace from around 1730, sparking a ‘revolution in obstetrics’.
Partly this was because regular attendance at births afforded lucrative opportunities for university-educated medical men to supplement their income. Additionally, as the medical field of work diversified, this attracted a wider range of practitioners. Yet, midwifery required some elevation in status in order to be a credible profession for gentlemen, and several factors made this possible.
Women’s exclusion from medical schools gave men significant leverage to undermine female authority in the birthing chamber. A university education in anatomy was promoted as a necessary element of midwifery training, as it was for surgery, and this legitimised the natural connection between these two fields of medicine.
In addition, new scientific knowledge in reproduction and gynaecology was advanced by eminent men-midwives such as William Hunter (1781-1783), and innovations in obstetrical forceps allowed for safer delivery techniques, such as those designed by William Smellie (1697-1763). Equally important was the emergence of lying-in wards in teaching hospitals, enabling students to put their learning into practice. Consequently, men were increasingly perceived to be best-able to mitigate all risks, with the instruments and technical skill necessary if complications arose.
Nevertheless, breaking the authority of the female midwife was slow and laced with controversy and pushback. Female practitioners resented a male invasion of their workspace and birthing women were likewise suspicious, whether down to fear of the ‘butcher surgeon’ or concerns over modesty.
Although by the close of the 18th female midwives still attended the majority of births, male practitioners had made a visible mark in this field of medicine, with men now routinely attending normal deliveries.
