jan 10, 1757 - "Manual on the Art of Childbirth"

Description:

Madame du Coudray was a French midwife that contributed to, as the title of the book states, the art of childbirth. Her publication of her text, "Manual on the Art of Childbirth", addressed the societal issue of incompetent midwives, explaining proper birthing techniques. This was done to better the image of the profession and to ensure that children were being birthed properly. With her knowledge on the subject, she traveled around France, educating midwives using a model of the female torso to further their knowledge on the subject. All of this, no doubt, contributed to the saving of the lives of both mother and child, as well as contributing, be it indirectly, to people more willing to take part in illegitimate births, as birth became less of an enormous event.