See also:

• MIDWIFE (Mid. Eng. midwif, mydwyf or medewife, from preposition mid, with, and wife, i.e. woman, in the sense of one who is with ,the mother, or from adjective mid, one who is the means of delivering the mother, a woman who assists other women in 'childbi

MIDWIFE (See also:

• MID

Mid. Eng. midwif, mydwyf or medewife, from preposition mid, with, and wife, i.e. woman, in the sense of one who is with ,the See also:

• MOTHER

mother, or from See also:

• ADJECTIVE (from the Lat. adjectives, added)

adjective mid, one who is the means of delivering the mother, a woman who assists other See also:

• WOMEN

women in 'childbi  rth) . As a class, midwives were recognized in See also:

• EGYPT

Egypt in the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of the Jewish captivity . It was the universal practice in See also:

• EUROPE

Europe until the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle of the 16th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century, as it is to-See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day in the See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

East, that See also:

• WOMEN

women should be attended in confinement only by those of their own See also:

• SEX (Lat. sexes; possibly connected with secure, to cut)

sex . From that See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period more See also:

• ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention was given to the practice of midwifery by the medical profession (see See also:

• OBSTETRICS

OBSTETRICS), while in See also:

• CONTINENTAL

continental Europe, towards the See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close of the 17th century, See also:

• SPECIAL

special See also:

• SCHOOLS

schools were instituted for the proper training of See also:

• MID

mid-wives . But it was not until well on in the 19th century that any supervision or regulation was imposed on those who acted as midwives . Now in practically every See also:

• EUROPEAN

European See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country midwives are under strict See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state See also:

• CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in English of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

control, they are required to undergo a course of thorough training, and their practice is carefully regulated by legislation . In See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France midwives (sages femmes) are divided into a first and a second class . Those qualifying for both classes go through a two years' course of training and must qualify both in the theory and practice of midwifery, as well as in See also:

• ANATOMY
• ANATOMY (Gr. avaroyil, from ava-silo c', to cut up)

anatomy, See also:

• PHYSIOLOGY (from Gr. 4 i s, nature, and koyos, discourse)

physiology and See also:

• PATHOLOGY (from Gr. raBos, suffering)

pathology . A See also:

• MIDWIFE (Mid. Eng. midwif, mydwyf or medewife, from preposition mid, with, and wife, i.e. woman, in the sense of one who is with ,the mother, or from adjective mid, one who is the means of delivering the mother, a woman who assists other women in 'childbi

midwife of the first class has a See also:

• SUPERIOR

superior status and can practise in any See also:

• PART

part of France, while those of the second class are restricted in their practice to the See also:

• DEPARTMENT (Fr. departement, from departir, to separate into parts)

department for which the certificate was issued . Their qualifications allow them also to vaccinate and to prescribe certain antiseptic preparations . They are not allowed to use See also:

• INSTRUMENTS

instruments and must See also:

• CALL (from Anglo-Saxon ceallian, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch kallen, to talk or chatter)

call in a medical See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man in difficult cases . All cases must be reported to a central officer .

In See also:

• SPAIN
• SPAIN (Espana)

Spain midwives are allowed to practise on the result of an examination after studies covering at least four See also:

• HALF

half-years . The diploma is issued by the director-See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general of public instruction . In See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany midwives are appointed, recognized and authorized by the state . They can conduct confinements independently and without the aid of a medical man . They must be provided with a certificate from the See also:

• POLICE (Fr. police, government, civil administration, a police force, Gr. sroXumeia, constitution, condition of a state, roars, city, state)

police authorities, and must reside in special districts assigned to them by the authorities . In See also:

• AUSTRIA
• AUSTRIA, LOWER (Ger. Niederosterreich or Osterreich unter der Enns, " Austria below the river Enns ")
• AUSTRIA, UPPER (Ger. Oberosterreich or Osterreich ob der Enns, " Austria above the river Enns ")

Austria midwives before they are allowed to practise must pass'a strict examination, after having followed a six months' course at one of the state schools of midwifery . They are subject to elaborate " instructions for midwives " issued from time to time by the See also:

• MINISTRY

ministry of the interior . In See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy a midwife must pass an examination and obtain a diploma from a recognized authority; but in See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order to obviate the difficulty' which the poorer classes in the smaller communes would find in obtaining properly-authorized midwives, a certificate of permission to practise may be given to a certain number who have practised without the See also:

• SANCTION (Lat. sanctia, from sancire, to decree or ordain)

sanction of the See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law satisfactorily during a See also:

• TERM

term of five years . These certificates are distributed by the See also:

• PREFECT (prefet)

prefect . In See also:

• RUSSIA
• RUSSIA (Rossiya)

Russia matters pertaining to the See also:

• APPOINTMENT, POWER OF

appointment, See also:

• TRANSFER (from Lat. transferre, to bear across, carry over)

transfer, dismissal and pay of midwives are under the See also:

• CHARGE
• CHARGE (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. carricare, to load in a carrus or wagon; cf. " cargo ")

charge of the medical department of the ministry of the interior . In each See also:

• TOWN

town of a See also:

• PROVINCE
• PROVINCE (Lat. provincia; perhaps a contraction of providentia)

province or region there is stationed one See also:

• SENIOR, NASSAU WILLIAM (1790-1864)

senior midwife and a number of junior midwives in proportion to the number of districts in the province . The examination of midwives and the issue of certificates of competency is carried out by the Medico-Chirurgical See also:

• ACADEMY, GREEK
• ACADEMY, ROYAL

Academy and certain of the See also:

• UNIVERSITIES

universities .

A duly-licensed midwife, on presentation of her See also:

• LICENCE (through the French from Lat. licentia, licere, to be lawful)

licence, is at once excluded from the tax-paying class to which she may have belonged . The general See also:

• CODE (Lat. codex)

code of See also:

• RUSSIAN

Russian See also:

• LAWS

laws See also:

• LAYS

lays down extensive rules for the carrying out of the duties of midwives . In See also:

• NORWAY
• NORWAY (Norge)

Norway all midwives are licensed after examination and are under the control and inspection of the See also:

• BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

board of See also:

• HEALTH

health . See also:

• PROVISION (Lat. provisio)

Provision is made for infirm and aged midwives . They are usually paid by the See also:

• PARISH (Gr. irapouda, district, neighbourhood; 7r&poucos, one dwelling near or beside, from crap&, OtKOS, house; Lat. paroecur, Late Lat. parochia; cf. Fr. paroisse)

parish, but also receive fees according to the means of the See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person attended . In See also:

• SWEDEN
• SWEDEN [Sverige]
• SWEDEN, NORWAY AND

Sweden a certificate of competency and of having passed an examination does not give a midwife a rightto practise until a See also:

• NOTE
• NOTE (Lat. nota, mark, sign, from noscere, to know)

note has been made on the certificate that the See also:

• OATH (0. Eng. ddh)

oath of See also:

• OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office has been duly taken . All midwives are under the control of the board of health . When a midwife takes up her See also:

• RESIDENCE (Latin residere, to remain behind, to dwell, reside)

residence in a parish, or moves from one See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place to another, she must announce the fact within a See also:

• MONTH
• MONTH (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. Mond, Du. maand, Dan. maaned, &c., and cognate with Lat. mensis, Gr. µi7v, &c., in other branches of the Indo-Germanic family; all ultimately from the root seen in the word for the moon in nearly all those languages

month to the nearest appointed See also:

• DOCTOR (Lat. for " teacher ")

doctor and exhibit her certificate . In towns a midwife must put up a See also:

• NOTICE

notice board outside her residence; she must not absent herself from See also:

• HOME
• HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS (1833-1886)
• HOME, EARLS OF

home without leaving word as to where she may be found and at what See also:

• HOUR

hour she will probably return . In the country a midwife may be paid out of the poor See also:

• RATE

rate . In See also:

• DENMARK
• DENMARK (Danmark)

Denmark, also, midwives are recognized by the state, and the practise of midwifery is almost entirely in the'hands of women . In See also:

• HOLLAND
• HOLLAND, CHARLES (1733–1769)
• HOLLAND, COUNTY AND PROVINCE OF
• HOLLAND, HENRY FOX, 1ST BARON (1705–1774)
• HOLLAND, HENRY RICH, 1ST EARL OF (1S9o-,649)
• HOLLAND, HENRY RICHARD VASSALL FOX, 3RD
• HOLLAND, JOSIAH GILBERT (1819-1881)
• HOLLAND, PHILEMON (1552-1637)
• HOLLAND, RICHARD, or RICHARD DE HOLANDE (fl. 1450)
• HOLLAND, SIR HENRY, BART

Holland a certain number of candidates are given See also:

• FREE

free training by the state in return for their practising midwifery in scattered country districts at a fixed See also:

• SALARY

salary .

Many of the states of the See also:

• UNITED

United States have also passed laws for the See also:

• REGISTRATION

registration of midwives . In See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England alone there was no regulation of any See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind so See also:

• LATE

late as 1902 . Any person, however ignorant and untrained, could describe herself as a midwife and practise for gain . Several See also:

• SOCIETIES, LEARNED

societies made continuous efforts towards the close of the 19th century to obtain legislation . A select See also:

• COMMITTEE (from commute, an Anglo-Fr. past participle of commettre, Lat. committere, to entrust; the modern Fr. equivalent comite is derived from the Eng.)

committee on midwives' registration reported in 1892 that the See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence they had taken showed that there was at the time " serious and unnecessary loss of See also:

• LIFE

life and health and permanent injury to both See also:

• MOTHER

mother and See also:

• CHILD
• CHILD, FRANCIS JAMES (1825-1896)
• CHILD, L
• CHILD, LYDIA MARIA (1802-1880)
• CHILD, SIR FRANCIS (1642-1713)
• CHILD, SIR JOHN (d. 1690)
• CHILD, SIR JOSIAH (163o - 1699)

child in the treatment of child-See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth, and that some legislative provision for improvement and regulation was desirable." A similar committee reported to the same effect in 1893 . Eventually a See also:

• BILL

bill was drafted with the See also:

• OBJECT

object of securing the examination and registration of midwives, but, although introduced several times into the See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

House of See also:

• COMMONS

Commons, it was not successful until 1902 . The Midwives See also:

• ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

Act 1902 forbids any woman after the 1st of See also:

• APRIL

April 1905 to call herself " midwife " without a certificate, or to act as a midwife for gain without a certificate after the 1st of April 1910 . Existing midwives (those who held certificates in midwifery from certain recognized institutions, or produced satisfactory evidence at the passing of the act that they had been for at least one See also:

• YEAR

year in See also:

• BONA (BONE)
• BONA, JOHN (1609-1674)

bona fide practice as midwives, and See also:

• BORE

bore See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good characters) were allowed to claim certificates within two years from the 1st of April 1903 . The act created a central midwives' board, whose duties are, inter See also:

• CILIA (plural of Lat. cilium, eyelash)

cilia, to regulate the issue of certificates and the conditions of See also:

• ADMISSION

admission to the See also:

• ROLL (O. Fr. rolle, roulle, mod. role, Lat. rotulus, dim. of rota, wheel)
• ROLL, ALFRED PHILIPPE (1846– )

roll of midwives; to regulate the course of training and conduct of See also:

• EXAMINATIONS

examinations; to regulate, supervise and restrict within due limits the practice of midwives; to publish annually a roll of duly certified midwives; to remove from the roll the name of any midwife who disobeys the rules and regulations laid down from time to time; to issue and See also:

• CANCEL (from the Lat. cancelli, a plural diminutive of cancer, a grating or lattice, from which are also derived " chancel " and " chancellor ")

cancel certificates, &c . There is an See also:

• APPEAL

appeal to the High See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

Court of See also:

• JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

Justice against removal of a name, but the appeal must be made within three months . See also:

• LOCAL

Local authorities are required to exercise supervision over the midwives within their See also:

• AREA

area; they must investigate charges of malpractice, See also:

• NEGLIGENCE (Lat. negligentia, from negligere, to neglect, literally " not to pick up ")

negligence or misconduct; exercise the See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of suspension and See also:

• REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report convictions . They must See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply the central board with the names and addresses of those practising within their area, and notify any See also:

• DEATH

death .

The local authority must appoint a committee to carry out its See also:

• POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers or duties under the act, and may, if it think See also:

• FIT

fit, delegate its powers to a lesser local authority, such as a See also:

• DISTRICT

district See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council . The act provides for penalties for obtaining a certificate by false See also:

• REPRESENTATION

representation or for wilful falsification of the roll . The act does not apply to See also:

• IRELAND
• IRELAND, CHURCH
• IRELAND, CHURCH OF
• IRELAND, JOHN (1761-1842)
• IRELAND, JOHN (1838- )
• IRELAND, WILLIAM HENRY (1777-1835)

Ireland or See also:

• SCOTLAND
• SCOTLAND, CHURCH OF
• SCOTLAND, EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF

Scotland . (T . A .