Training and practice of the profession of midwife in the Napoleonic age in the March of Fermo

The aim of this contribution is the historical reconstruction of the training and professional practice of midwives in the March of Fermo (La Marca, or today’s Abruzzo and Marche regions) territory in the Napoleonic age. This study offers an unprecedented picture of this profession, through the study of archival sources integrated with museum objects. The case of the first midwives was analysed, starting from training at the school of obstetrics of S. Caterina alla Ruota of Milan to the professional practice in the March of Fermo. The activity of the local school of obstetrics at the civic hospital was also part of the process of secularisation of the «mothers» (mammane) put in place by Napoleonic institutions in order to return a formal aspect to what was once an unauthorised practice of the profession. The role and work of the professional midwife was also one of the first signs of modernity in health care in the territory. © 2022, eum - Edizioni Universita di Macerata. All rights reserved.