The Chamberlens and the Midwifery Forceps

Book excerpt: This fascinating work explores the history of the chamberlens, a family of Huguenots who played a central role in the development of obstetrics and the invention of the midwifery forceps. Author James Hobson Aveling offers a detailed examination of the family's history and contributions to the field of obstetrics, as well as an analysis of the social and cultural context in which they worked. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.