title: Avoiding the fixed period and Thanatos syndrome: obstetrics past, present, and future.
abstract: The obstetrics medical specialty is in transition as it confronts numerous challenges and critics. An analysis of the issues involved in the past, present, and future and how these challenges are met is presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Mineola.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schulman
mesh_terms: D049669:History, 16th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends