Virtual Event - Where Did All the Midwives Go?: Statistical Authority in the Regulation of Midwifery in North Carolina, 1900-1940

Thursday March 13, Noon-1 p.m., Where Did All the Midwives Go?: Statistical Authority in the Regulation of Midwifery in North Carolina, 1900-1940
Jenesis Nwainokpor (Ashley Latta Post's former intern) will discuss the transition from traditional midwifery to the increasingly professionalized field of obstetrics. At the turn of the 20th century, American physicians sought to control southern midwives, most of whom were Black. Their efforts reduced professional competition by blaming midwives for high rates of infant mortality and led to sweeping government regulation, eventually driving these care workers to virtual extinction.