Wellcome Library Insight – Doctors and Midwifery

This Thursday (8th March) at 3pm our next Wellcome Library Insight focuses on the theme of Doctors and Midwifery.

With the current home birth rate in the UK at a mere 2.5 per cent, this session will look at the Wellcome Library holdings on the history of midwifery and some drawbacks of the rise of the male presence in the birth chamber, challenging the perception of a hospital birth as the only safe option for a pregnant woman.

Our popular Insight sessions offer visitors to the Wellcome Library an opportunity to explore the variety of our holdings. These free sessions are thematic in style, last around an hour and offer a chance to learn about our collections.

Details on attending are available on the Wellcome Collection website.

Image: A kraamkamer (birth-room). Watercolour, 17th century (Wellcome Library no. 44688i)