"Traces the evolution of obstetric instruments from ancient times to the end of the nineteenth century in Britain, Europe, and America."--Dust jacket.

Presenting the basis for gynecological studies in South Africa, this comprehensive examination, compiled by 32 leaders in the field, describes the history and basics of gynecology—including genetics, embryology, anatomy, physiology, and cytology bioethics. Incorporating information on the latest diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, HIV/AIDS, abuse and violence against women, and access to gynecological data via electronic media, this third edition includes eight new chapters, a DVD that shows live techniques and procedures, and a quick-reference guide summarizing the salient points of each chapter. An invaluable resource for undergraduates, postgraduate students, and practicing physicians, the topics covered in this authoritative handbook apply not only to sub-Saharan Africa but to any developing community.

This lively history of childbirth begins with colonial days, when childbirth was a social event, and moves on to the gradual medicalization of childbirth in America as doctors forced midwives out of business and to the home-birth movement of the 1980's. Widely praised when it was first published in 1977, the book has now been expanded to bring the story up to date. In a new chapter and epilogue, Richard and Dorothy Wertz discuss the recent focus on delivering perfect babies, with its emphasis on technology, prenatal testing, and Caesarean sections. They argue that there are many viable alternatives--including out-of-hospital births--in the search for the best birthing system. Review of the first edition: "Highly readable, extensively documented, and well illustrated...A welcome addition to American social history and women's studies. It can also be read with profit by health planners, hospital administrators, 'consumers' of health care, and all those who are concerned with improving the circumstances associated with childbirth."--Claire Elizabeth Fox, bulletin of the History of Medicine "A fascinating, brilliantly documented history not merely of childbirth, but of men's attitudes towards women, the effect of a burgeoning medical profession on our very conception of maternity and motherhood, and the influence of religion on medical technology and science."--Thomas J. Cottle, Boston Globe "This superb book...is both an impeccably documented recitation of the chronological history of medical intervention in American childbirth and a sociological analysis of the various meanings given to childbirth by individuals, interested groups, and American society as a whole."--Barbara Howe, American Journal of Sociology Richard W. Wertz, a builder in Westport, Massachusetts, is formerly an associate professor of American history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dorothy C. Wertz, is a research professor at the School of Public Health, Boston University

This work covers all aspects of midwifery. A practical manual for health care professionals practising midwifery or any related discipline within or outside the hospital environment.

First published in 1996. Childbirth: Changing Ideas and Practices is intended to pro-vide readers with key primary sources and exemplary historio-graphical approaches through which they can more fully appreciate a variety of themes in British and American childbirth, mid-wifery, and obstetrics. The articles in this series are designed to serve as a resource for students and teachers in fields including history, women’s studies, human biology, sociology, and anthropology. They will also meet the socio-historical educational needs of pre-medical and nursing students and aid pre-professional, allied health, and midwifery instructors in their lesson preparations.