Historical Bibliography Updated: July 14, 2026

Catching babies: The professionalization of childbirth, 1870-1920.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995.

Concerns the transition in the early 20th century in the United States from women midwives delivering most babies to professional obstetricians--mostly men--delivering almost all babies by the 1950s. It researches why midwifery did not become professionalized in the same way as nursing or doctoring.

Facet Tags

Obstetrics & Reproductive
Professions & Education
Women & Gender

Subjects

Education, Biomedical, & Biomedical Profession › History of Biomedical Education & Medical Profession OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY › OBSTETRICS › History of Obstetrics OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY › OBSTETRICS › Midwives WOMEN, Publications by › Years 1900 - 1999

Catalog Metadata	Reference Information
Entry Number	#11023
Permanent Link	https://beta.historyofmedicine.com/id/13219
External URL	catching-babies-the-professionalization-of-childbirth-18701920

Geographic Context

Publication place: Cambridge, MA