The Obstetrical Society of London and its examinations for midwives : a chapter in the history of the midwives question / by Charles J. Cullingworth.

  • Cullingworth, Charles J. (Charles James), 1841-1908.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Obstetrical Society of London and its examinations for midwives : a chapter in the history of the midwives question / by Charles J. Cullingworth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Board of Examiners.—IV. That the candidates be required to pass (1) a written examination ; (2) an oral and practical examination upon the following subjects; (a) the elementary anatomy of the female pelvis and generative organs; (b) the symptoms, mechanism, course, and management of natural labour; (c) the indications of abnormal labour and the emergencies which ma.y occur in practice; (d) a general know- ledge of the puerperal state; (e) the management, of new-born children and infants; (/) the conditions as air, food, cleanliness, &c., necessary for health ; (g) the duties of the midwife with regard to the patient and with regard to the seeking of medical advice.—V. That, on satisf3ing the Board of Examiners as to her qualifications, the midwife should receive a diploma certifjung that she is a skilled midwile, competent to attend natural labour.—VI. That the fee for this diploma be one guinea and that unsuccessful candidates be required to pay a fee of five shillings Appendix III. “ Suggestions for the Instruction, Examination, Licensing, Regis- tration, and. Supervision of Midwives submitted by the Council of the Obstetrical Society of London in an interview with the Right Hon. James Stansfeld, M.P., on the 21st of November, 1873. Definition of a midwife.—A healthy, sensible, respectable M oman, able to read, write, and calculate, understanding the management of natural labour and the ordinary care of the mother and child after labour, and capable of recognising any conditions requiring medical aid during the parturient and puerperal states. “ Instruction of midwives.—This might be done by utilising the present lying-in charities and unions. Theoretical instruction might also be given by qualified medical men, and practical instruction at the bedside and preferably at the patients’ homes, since experience has shown that it is neither necessary nor desirable to congregate a large number of lying in women under the same roof. '' Examination and licensing of mielwives.—As no one can treat obstetric emergencies and diseases successfully until he or she has lirst fulfilled a complete medical curriculum such as qualified medical men are compelled to undergo, and as it is not proposed that such know- ledge should be required of midwives, it can scarcely be expected that the universities, colleges, and corporations that license medical men would undertake the examination of midwives. The Obstetrical Society of London, having had repeatedly and urgently brought before its notice the sacrifice of human life and health occasioned by the practice of ignorant midwives, has already instituted an Examining Board for testing the knowledge of women desiring to follow the calling of a midwife, and has granted certificates to those w ho have satisfied its examiners. The Society is therefore able and is willing to undertake the examination, licensing, and registration of midwives if the Privy Council think it desirable. It would be necessary for the Society to have the pow er of instituting branch examining boards in the provinces. A similar method of examination and licensing might be carried out by examining boards appointed by the Obstetrical Societies of Edinburgh and Dublin. '•'Registration of midwives.—It is believed that nothing short of compulsory registration of midwives will afford safe attendance during labour to those who are unable to distinguish between a good and a bad midwife. In future every woman undertaking the duties of a midwife in England and Wales should be required to pass the society’s examination prior to registration, and no public appointment should hereafter be given to any midwife who is not registered. It is also thought desirable that all midwives at present in practice should, on the production of satisfactory evidence of fitness for the calling, be eligible to be placed on the register.