‘Midwifery is not a fit occupation for a Gentleman’

Abstract

From the earliest-known visual representation of a birth scene in an ice-age relief, through the anatomical works of De Vinci, to images from the 17^th-century artists, there is a plethora of works accompanied with anecdotes that make any journey into the history of obstetrics a fascinating one. I do not profess that my intriguing period locked away in various archives and libraries has left me an expert on the history of my speciality; it has merely wet my appetite and opened up a sphere of interest that clinicians all too often neglect.