On the art of midwifery, as exercised by medical practitioners : in reply to Dr. Kinglake. / by Samuel Merriman.

  • Merriman, Samuel, 1771-1852.
Date:
1816
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the art of midwifery, as exercised by medical practitioners : in reply to Dr. Kinglake. / by Samuel Merriman. 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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    yo_ [Trom tho Loudon Medical and Physical Journal.] On the Art of Midwifery, as exercised by Medical Prac- titioners, in Reply to L)r. Kinglufcc; by Samuel Mekri- man, M.D. F.L.S. “Nusquam magis quani in liumanfc gcneraiione vaiiat Nattira, et in constant! “ puerperii actioue inconstautiain suani monstrat constantissime. Th. Bartholin. ^IMIE art of midwifery, as exercised by medical p'racti- A tioners, bas, on various occasions, excited much oppo- sition. In France it was combated by the pious animad- versions of Hecquet,* * * § and the declamations of Roussel;f in England, Dr. Frank NichollsJ attempted to overturn it by sarcastic irony, and the eccentric Philip Thicknesse§ by malevolent aspersions ; they were assisted in their laudable endeavours by Mrs. NihelI|j and Mrs. Stephen,** two mid- wives, who, though themselves unable to write, could easily procure others to publish in their names against the men- niidwives. That these publications, so full of piety, argu- ment, ridicule, and slander, produced but little of the in- tended effect, is evident, because the practice of midwifery, by men, has been ever since progressively increasing. It may indeed be contended, as these books were very widely dispersed, and consequently must have occasioned a very rigid investigation into the merits of the male and female practitioners, in every point of view, that the question, as to the propriety of employing men, is already virtually set at rest; and that the accoucheurs are only now preferred to the midwives, because they have been proved to possess greater skill, greater judgment, greater mildness, greater patience, and greater decorum. If the men were very tle- * M. llccquet was the original Dr. Sangrado of Le Sage. He was a very humane and pious man. It is reported of him, that he never prescribed in doubtful cases without first having recourse to prayer, lie published “Dc l’lndeccncc aux Hommes d’accou- chcr les Femmes. 1708.”—See Hutchinson's Biographia Medica. + M. Roussel was a physician ht Montpelier; he published “Systemc physique et moral de la Femme. 1775.” J Dr. Nicholls was the author of “ The Petition of the unborn Babes to the Censors of the Royal College of Physicians of Lon- don; 1751.” § Thickncsse, besides many paragraphs, &c. in the newspapers, published the following virulent pamphlets, “The Danger and Immodesty of employing Mcn-Midwives, &c. 1772;” “Man- Midwifery analysed ; 1775 ;” “ Thoughts on the Times, and the Profligacy of Women; 1779;” “Man-Midwifery dissected, by John Blunt, Surgeon; 1793.” || “ A Treatise on Midwifery, &c. 17(50;” published under the name of Mrs. Nihell; was said to be written by her husband, a surgeon. ** In her name was published, “The Domestic Midwife, 1795;” which was revised, if not written, by P. Thiokncssc. B