Pushing in Silence: Modernizing Puerto Rico and the Medicalization of Childbirth
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.52 (744 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1477314121 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 274 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-01-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Isabel M. . Córdova is an associate professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Nazareth College
Prior to 1950, registered midwives on the island outnumbered registered doctors by two to one, and they attended well over half of all deliveries. Only after cesarean rates skyrocketed in the 1980s and 1990s did midwifery make a modest return through the practices of five newly trained midwives. In the realm of heath care, the development of medical education, new medical technologies, and a new faith in science radically redefined childbirth and its practice. Córdova traces how, over the next quarter-century, midwifery almo
"A brilliantly written, accessible, and comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted social, cultural, and historical conditions that led to the medicalization of birthing in Puerto Rico, which enabled doctors to replace midwives. This history has not been written before. The research is original and unique and is a contribution to the fields of sociology, anthropology, history, and biomedicine." (Iris O. Lopez, City College of New York, author of Matters of Choice: Puerto Rican Women’s Struggle for Reproductive Freedom)