ABSTRACT
In April 1938 an article was published in the Dutch Catholic midwives journal, the Maandblad voor R.K.Vroedvrouwen, which summed up the state of play regarding the competence of midwives in various European countries.1 The preparations for the International Congress of Midwives in Paris in April had stimulated the writing of the article, which brought the question of midwives’ competence to the fore. While the evidence given was patchy, the article is interesting in many ways. It revealed a deep interest in professional issues, status and roles, which went beyond national boundaries and local concerns. Discussing midwives’ competence in Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, England, Denmark, Sweden and Italy, it was far from parochial.
