By Tuesday 5 May 2020 is International Day of the Midwife, which falls during the World Health Organisation’s Year of the Nurse and Midwife making it a double celebration. Midwifery and childbirth is something we’ve discussed a few times on this blog, but did you know Sara has just published her
By The Maladies of Midwives
While doing some research for the book Sara and I are writing on diseases and medicines in the early modern era I came across a book published in 1703 by Italian doctor Bernardino Ramazzini. Sometimes referred to as the father of occupational medicine Ramazzini’s book explores ‘the various influence of
A dose of witchcraft
Coming down with a dose of Witchcraft -– a Halloween special Witches were a real presence in early modern lives. Many elderly women healers, as well as a range of other people, risked accusations of witchcraft. Indeed new midwives, for example, had to swear an oath that they would not