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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    been added) presented to the society its concluding report. This report had, like the previous one, been drawn up by Dr. Gervis. Before the report was read the President, Dr. Graily Hewitt, made a few introductory observations, in the course of which, after announcing that a series of “Rules for the General Management of Infants,’’drawn up by Dr. Playfair, had been approved by the council and printed for general circulation, he spoke of another and somewhat cognate subject that had “attracted the attention of the committee—viz., the desirability of urging on the legislature the necessity for various emendations in the laws relating to infanticide and the regulatii n and registration of the practice of midwives.” He went on to say tiiat Mr. Curgenven, a member of the committee, had given special attention to this matter and would presently lay before the society the results of the committee’s deliberations upon it. It would now rest with the society to move further in the matter and to press these subjects on the serious attention of the governing bodies of this country. Accordingly, after the final report of the Infantile Mortality Committee had been read, the following “Sug- gestions for Legislative Enactments ” were submitted to the meeting, the committee expressing itself as being “strongly impressed with the necessity of urging upon the Government some amendments to the existing laws and the enacting of other measures for the better protection of infant li*^e.” The ‘ ‘ Suggestions ” are arranged under several headings—as, e.g., (1) infanticide, punishment and evidence, amendments ; (2) registration of still-births ; (3) education of midwives ; (4) boarding out of workhouse children ; and (5) registration of nurses (baby farmers). The suggestions under No. 3 (edu- cation of mid wives) were as follows :— That no person should be allowed to perform the duties of a midwife or accoucheur unless he or she shall have received proper instruction and shall have given evidence before a competent examining board of possessing knowledge and experience adequate to attendance on cases of natural labour That an examining board be forthwith api)ointed for the purpose of testing the knowledge of midwives and for the purpose of issuing certificates of competency.'^ At the annual meeting of the society, held on Jan. 3rd, 1872, with Dr. Braxton Hicks, the President, in the chair, the Council in a report to the society recommended a de- tailed scheme which had been prepared during the previous year by a special committee for carrying into effect the resolutions agreed to in December, 1870. The scheme was presented to the society in the form of new by-laws,® which after some discussion were put to the meeting (at which there were present 60 Fellows, including the President) and passed unanimously. In r Transactions of the Obstetrical Society of London, voJ. xii. for X870, pp. 388 to 403. 8 See Appendix II.