At the origins of a profession: the midwife between art, medicine and pedagogy

Abstract

This article aims to reconstruct the articulations and large-scale changes that occurred in
the characterization of the figure concerned with assisting in childbirth, starting
with its origins when it corresponded to an essentially practical role undertaken by midwives
without specialist training, to its evolution through a path of progressive professionalization
to the current reality of obstetrician. Although the sector in question has always
been characterized as predominantly female, this article will also highlight the important
role covered by the skills of male protagonists who carried out surgery. At the
same time, it will also focus on the specific didactic methodologies and tools that developed
between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to support the training of midwives,
paying particular attention to their context in Bologna, but also with reference to
the Italian and European situation. The aim is to shed light on the possible educational
value of the profession, whose role in delivering children has been characterized by the
progressive consolidation and combination of science and obstetric art, following
a path that has seen medical knowledge interact with pedagogical knowledge.