ABSTRACT

Althoughmaleauthorsofobstetricaltreatisesdescribedtheidealsurgeonmanmidwifeasmodest,polite,andcharitable,theyalsocriticizedrivals.Surgeonmenmidwivesregularlydenouncedothermalepractitioners,callingthemunskilled, ignorant,andevenkillersofwomenandchildren.Producinganinverseimageofthe beneficialman-midwife,theirwrittenaccountsoutlinedaninjuriousbirthing assistantwholackedhands-onexperience,overestimatedhisabilities,andflagrantly inventedstoriesofthedifficultdeliverieshehadremediedinanavariciousquestfor fame.Castigatingthenegativequalitiesoffellowmen-midwivesallowedauthorsto constructacontrastingimageofthemselves.Manywriterswerenotreticentabout vauntingtheirownsuperiorskills,moreextensivetraining,andabsolutelytruthful descriptionsofsurgicalinterventionsinchildbirth.Thisdiscourseofrivalryportrays surgeonmen-midwivesascontendersinacompetitivefield,requiredbothtodisplay anddefendtheirreputations.