A HAPPINESS founded on opinion only, is rather too slightly founded,
especially in a point where not less than life is at stake. I know there
are women so obstinately wedded to their opinion of certain pretended
doctors, that they would not look upon it to be a good office done them,
though certainly it would be one, to undeceive them. I also know that
the title of doctor is so common in this country, that it ought to be
very cheap.
MOST of the women in labor, (you say) will have men to assist them, as
thinking their life more in safety with them, than in the hands of
women. May be so. But what does that prove but the deplorable blindness,
the weakness of the human understanding, and the silly prejudices in
favor of novelty? Is it then the instruments of these men-midwives that
give this confidence or this security? As if a king, a queen, or
princess dangerously ill, could be defended from death, by doubling
their guards.
THE women have on this occasion the delicacy not to suffer even their
husband to assist at their labor, and this out of decency. This is very
well for those who are contented with midwives; but as for those who
will be attended by men to lay them, it is very wrong in them not even
to insist on their husband to stay by them. For this preference of men
to deliver them, comes either from a greater inclination to the men, or
from a greater confidence in them than in the women, or, in short, from
the pure necessity they imagine themselves under to employ a man. If it
is from inclination, or from necessity, it will be always proper for the
husband to stay, to contain the man-midwife, as much as possible, within
the bounds of modesty. If the man-practitioner is preferred by them, out
of the great confidence they have in men: in what man can they place
more confidence than in a tender husband: who more than he can interest
himself in the man-midwife’s acquitting himself duly of his office?
I WONDER that this great confidence which is reposed in the male sex
should be limited to the man-midwife only. I promise the women, that
they may with equal justice imagine a greater handiness about them in
men-attendants than in women; they may just as well have men-nurses as
men-midwives: the convenience will be as much greater in the one, as the
safety will be in the other. Away then with all the women, who croud
round to comfort and relieve a woman in labor: away with your mothers,
sisters, aunts or female acquaintance: in consequence to the preference
due to the male-sex, let the patient’s labor be attended by fathers,
brothers, uncles, or men-acquaintance.
BUT let common opinion lower women as much as it will, so much is
certainly and experimentally true, that, notwithstanding the prejudice
and superiority of the men, the judgments and decisions of the women are
often more shrewd, more exact than theirs. Women have a certain delicacy
of mind, which, not being spoilt by undigested studies, renders their
taste much more quick, and more to be depended on, than that of the
half-learned.
THE distribution of merit and talents is entirely in the hands of divine
providence, that gives what and to whom it pleases, without respect to
the quality of persons; forming out of the assemblage of sciences of all
sorts, a sort of empire, which, generally speaking, embraces all ages,
and all countries, without distinction of age, sex, condition or
climate. The rightful claim to solid praise in this empire, is for every
one to be contented with his place, without bearing envy to the glory of
others. These he ought to look on as his colleagues, destined as well as
himself to enrich society, and become its benefactors. As this
providence places kings on the throne for nothing but the good of the
people, neither does it distribute different talents to men but for the
public utility. But, as in states it has been seen, that tirants and
usurpers have sometimes got the upper-hand, so, amongst men of talents
there may, if I dare so express myself, creep in a sort of tyranny,
which, in the present case for example, consists in looking on the women
with a jealous eye, especially those who from an eminence of talents
might dispute precedence with them. Thence it is that they are, as it
were, hurt by their successes, and by their reputation, and that they
endeavour to depreciate their merit, in order to establish the sole
dominion in themselves. A hateful defect this, and entirely contrary to
the good of society.
THIS is nevertheless the defect of most of our young men-midwives. But
when I consider the mercenary interest by which they are guided, I am
far from wondering at their inveteracy against those midwives,
especially who are distinguished for their merit and science. The
objects of this malignity of theirs are principally those, who have a
reputation they fear may enable them to be their competitors in
practice. From this mean jealousy of profession, they warmly inveigh
against its being trusted in our sex. This is a doctrine they spread
every where, and the stale burthen of their abuse is ever, “What is a
woman? What effectual service can be expected from a woman?” And thus,
by dint of this repetition and of clamor, they come at length to
accomplish the persuading an over-credulous public. The common people
have in all ages been easily seducible, open to imposition, and when
once an error has got full possession of them, it is a miracle if it
does not maintain itself in it. They love novelty, are readily taken
with striking objects, and stop at the surface of things, which they
eagerly seize. Singularity especially moves them. Reason alone, and
divested of chimeras, appears too naked to them. They must have
something that borders upon the marvellous. Is it not from thence that
the dreams of the poets found faith among the Heathens, or that the
fables of the Coran pass for so many truths among the Mahometans? To the
same weakness in favor of every thing that will make one stare, is owing
that silly credulity, which so often leads men to the swallowing the
grossest absurdities. One would think fictions had peculiar charms for
them.
NOTHING however can be more pitiful, than the injustice of running down
a sex, which has, in this very matter of midwifery, served the whole
earth through all ages, till just the present one, that a small part of
the world, becomes in imagination, all of a sudden a land of Goshen, or
the only enlightened spot, and takes the ignis fatuus of a mercenary
presumption for the sun-shine of sound reason. But after this injustice,
where will the men stop? What profession will they leave to the women?
It will at last be discovered, that the men can spin, raise paste, cut
out caps, pickle and preserve better than we do. After all, is it not
even ridiculous to see a custom, established for above five thousand
years, universally approved by great and little, fall into disgrace, I
will not say by the opinion, but by the whim of a handful of people,
most of whom too are, most probably, perfectly sensible of the nonsense
and absurdity of that whim, but defend it from a spirit that can hardly
not be suspected of interestedness, which indeed will make men defend
any thing?
AND after all, even common decency and common gratitude might engage the
men-midwives to speak less slightingly of the women of that profession;
since of whom is it, that the most famous of our present
master-men-midwives of London have learned their science but of the
women? Do not even the principal ones of them make it their boast to
have served a kind of apprenticeship under those midwives, who had
served theirs in the Hôtel Dieu at Paris?
BUT surely the reader will not think it here impertinent to observe,
that the wise administrators of that famous hospital, would hardly have
failed establishing men-midwives in it, if the safety of the subject had
had any thing to fear in the hands of women. But women alone it is that
preside at all the lyings-in there, be they never so extraordinary or
laborious. The men-midwives have never yet been able to extend their
footing within that place. Their emissaries can gain no admission, nor
are any proficients trained up there but women only. Notwithstanding
which, all the women who are there delivered are satisfactorily and
skilfully assisted. Vexatious accidents are less frequent there, in
proportion to the numbers, than elsewhere, under the eyes and operation
of the men-midwives. Mother and child are both more in safety under the
hands of those dextrous matrons, than in those of the most renowned
men-practitioners[3].
TO those then, who with a contemptuous tone ask what is a woman but a
woman? I shall with equal modesty and truth answer, that generally
speaking women are inferior to men in most public services. They are
scarcely so fit to head armies, to navigate ships, break horses, or the
like manly employs: but there are certainly domestic branches, in which
they rather make a better figure than the men. Midwifery seems their
appropriate lot: and rather a gift than an acquisition. They hold from
nature herself, in this matter, a certain expertness and dexterity, to
which not all the more abstruse refinement of art can ever conduct the
men. Nor will the operation of iron and steel instruments ever equal the
suppleness, safety and effectual ministry of the fingers of an expert
midwife, who understands her business.
LET me then be permitted to ask retortingly in my turn, What is, at the
best, a man-midwife? Is not he one of a new set of operators unknown to
our ancestors? A creature in short hard to be defined? In no original or
primitive language is there so much as a word to express one of this
profession. The common word for him in the English language is a
contradiction in terms, a monstrous incongruity; a MAN-_mid_-WIFE.
Sensible of the ridiculous sound of this expression, scarcely less so
than that of a _woman_-coach-_man_, they have, by way of remedy,
borrowed the term of _accoucheur_ from that nation whence the fashion
was unhappily borrowed, among many other fashions, so many of which are
however rather ridiculous, than like this one _big_ with danger, added
to the ridicule of it. But even that affected French word _accoucheur_
is of a very recent date in France. No French authors employ it, who are
not themselves of a more modern date than the word itself, which has not
above the antiquity of a century to boast. The name and vocation of a
midwife are found in the most primitive languages, being, in fact,
coeval with mankind itself.
AS to those who, from a principle of œconomy, prefer a man-midwife to a
midwife for conducting a lying-in, with respect to the remedies and
prescriptions which may be necessary on those occasions, Œconomy is
doubtless a laudable consideration, but I am much afraid, that those who
on this occasion make it a reason of preference, much mis-calculate
things. This man-midwife you prefer is either an eminent or an ordinary
one. If he is an eminent one, you are not always sure of having him in
the greatest need; for besides their being so rare, they cannot be every
where at one time. But admitting that you are fortunate enough to fall
into the hands of a man-midwife of the greatest name in the profession,
can you imagine that you will have a very cheap bargain of him? These
gentlemen expect no small fees, and will not attend without them. You
would besides be ashamed of not doing honor to the footing on which they
give themselves out. Whereas the same gratitude is not always shewn to a
midwife, however skilful in her profession, and whatever trouble she may
give herself both before and after the lying-in of her patients;
notwithstanding too the assiduous attendance and visits she bestows upon
them till they are out of danger; notwithstanding these tender
attentions she has for the children, which are so seldom regarded by the
men-midwives; there are who imagine they cannot give a midwife of this
sort too little, and that for no other reason on earth, but because she
is not a man.
IF on the contrary, and what the most frequently happens, you fall into
the hands of one of the common men-midwives, either of that multitude of
disciples of Dr. Smellie, trained up at the feet of his artificial doll,
or in short of those self-constituted men-midwives made out of broken
barbers, tailors, or even pork-butchers (I know myself one of this last
trade, who, after passing half his life in stuffing sausages, is turned
an intrepid physician and man-midwife) must not, I say, practitioners of
this stamp be admirably fitted, as well for the manual operation, as for
the prescriptions? If then it is from thrift they are employed, by way
of sparing fees to a real physician, I own, I think this is pushing
savingness too far; as I should be almost as much afraid of the
prescriptions of these mock-doctors as of their operation. I should have
more confidence in the advice of a discreet matron, or of a skilful
midwife, who, by habit and a long experience of seeing ladies in their
lyings-in attended by the best physicians, is in the most common cases
of the labor-pains, more able to advise the sick person to innocent
remedies, where there is no complication in the disorder, than those
half-bred or ignorant pretenders: but if there is a complication, then
there must absolutely be a good physician called in, the expence of
which should not be regretted, since life is at stake.
NOW in such cases, a midwife, though never so skilful, will neither be
ashamed nor backward to require such aid: whereas a man-midwife, the
more ignorant he is, will be but the more careful of concealing that
ignorance, and from the most false prejudice that both the faculties of
physic and surgery are implicit ingraftments on the profession of
midwifery in a man, will rather let mother and child perish, than call
in that assistance, of which he will be ashamed to confess his standing
in any need. He will then rashly do the best he can for his patient: but
what will that best most probably be? Torture and death; and that with
perfect impunity. I say most probably, for not even the most credulous,
or the most zealous for the appropriation of this profession to the
male-sex, can hardly carry the blindness of credulity and obstinacy the
length of assenting in earnest, that in the common run of
men-practitioners you are to find at once the man-midwife, the
physician, and the surgeon. Whereas women, fully sufficient for all
cases but the very extraordinary ones indeed, are ever ready to call for
proper help, on the first alarm of danger, of which too their
apprehension is much more quick and just than that of the men.
OBJECTION the Tenth.
THE ignorance of the women is the cause of the little confidence there
is reposed in them.