Birth without Doctors
Conversations with Traditional Midwives
Jacqueline Vincent-Priya(Author)
Earthscan Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 27. March 1992
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-85383-093-8 (ISBN)
Description
Most women giving birth in rural communities throughout the Third World cannot enjoy the "benefits" of modern medical assistance. They are usually too expensive and too far away. This book is the result of journeys and conversations between the author, traditional midwives and mothers which took place over two years in Malaysia and Indonesia. It describes traditional birthing practices and the communities in which they have arisen. For normal births the safety record is impressive, but so, too, is the reassurance of ritual, the incorporation of birthing into family and society rather than the contemporary habit of treating it almost as an illness. It is interesting to discover that many of the practices are based not only on religious understandings but also on sound herbal medical precautions. The book's point is not merely to demonstrate the skill of the traditional midwives, nor even to challenge what seems to be the medical view that pregnancy is an illness, but to give an insight into worlds where "barefoot" midwifery is the norm.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Illustrations
17 b&w photographs, bibliography, glossary, index
Dimensions
Height: 215 mm
Width: 135 mm
Weight
278 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85383-093-8 (9781853830938)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Part 1 Trekking in Thailand: into Northern Thailand; mothers as midwives - with the Lahu in Northern Thailand; are the spirits happy? birth amongst the Akkha; tradition unchanged - birth amongst the Karen. Part 2 Travelling in Indonesia: into Indonesia; when the spirit moves - midwifery and Shamanism amongst the Bataks; a tradition of care - traditional midwifery amongst the Minangkabau; a simple affair - birth amongst the Toraja. Part 3 Living in Malaysia: when the midwife is a man - birth amongst the Orang Asli; a tradition under threat - traditional midwifery in the Malay Kampongs.