title: The ancient origins of obstetrics, a role for women.
abstract: Ancient literature, epics and medical texts well testify the existence of a female competence in Obstetrics since the time of Hippocrates. Until the Imperial Age, both in Greece and in Rome, women were the only ministers of the rites involving birth and death: in particular, delivery was the special moment in which a specific female competence was required.
authors.affiliation: Sect. and Museum of History of Medicine, Dept. of Experimental Medicine and Pathology, University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gazzaniga
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Serarcangeli
mesh_terms: D000076145:Greece, Ancient; D049690:History, Ancient; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000266:history*; D012384:Rome; D014930:Women / Q000266:history*