Documentary on Childbirth from 1926

This film is almost 100 years old, might be of interest to those who want to see how childbirth has changed in the last century. It is in 3 parts with the first related to the preparation for birth including rectal temp, enema and trimming of pubic hair.

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/u8vek9xb

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/j75kpsm5

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/u6xu7v7p

That enema nozzle looked to be about 12 inches. The nurse just ran that sucker all the way in.

Having only watched the first video so far, it appears to be very little thought for the patients modesty. When my children were born almost 40 yrs ago was certainly less thorough in preparation certainly no pelvic measurements. I guess the use of ultrasound changed this. I feel utterly sorry for the medical profession these days. The risk sexual assault is enough to stop them practicing medicine. The world has gone mad.

Those vids are AWESOME!

The risk sexual assault is enough to stop them practicing medicine. The world has gone mad.

Eh… what?! What do you mean? Did you mean to write “the risk of being accused of sexual assault”? If so, do you have any sort of statistics to back up your claim that a certain amount of doctors actually stop practicing because they are afraid of being accused of sexual misconduct?

You are correct in saying “ the risk of sexual asault” No I don't have any statistics to prove my claim to hand. However more and more doctors are being accused, I'm not insinuating that the doctors are but simply, culture and perception have changed vastly. I wasnt making any accusation just general observations. Why are people on here so quick to respond in this way. Feel free to answer back. However I will not be commenting any further.

Very interesting videos, thanks for sharing them.

They show what a good decision I made deciding to be born male rather than female.

Interesting videos. I guess stethoscopes weren't in common use back then. Not sure when they came to be used regularly in Germany.

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Procedures have certainly changed since then.

When he rolls her over in video one, isn't that the most adorable bottom!!!

Interesting

Very interesting!

Great video's, thanks for sharing!

Nice to see the labour environment how primitive it was 100 years ago, while

realising all people from the video as well as the child are deceased already.

Even without modern technology it seems they were very through in their examinations.

I can't find any way to look at those vidoes. All I get is a page that describes what they have with a screen shot of the beginning of a video but no way to play it.

How do you find the video?

Great albeit , old footage. Thank you.

Comments:

The miracle of child birth!

Fascinating!

Continuity of the species!

Thank you great ape for hanging one on me. My respect for females always goes up a notch when presented with such knowledge!

Thank you for sharing this! Watching these from the first video you posted as of now.

These are incredibly interesting videos! I was born in 1950, and these films are from when my mother was born!!! The woman in the videos was lucky to be in a clinic because most in the U.S., particularly in rural areas, did not have that luxury in 1926. I had to chuckle about the "sexual assault" comments, and I am not sure where that was coming from since these films are instructional and almost 100 years old. Back then, if you were in a clinic or hospital, you became community property, and the concept of "patient choices" was nonexistent. Also, I thought the extreme attention to the aseptic technique was interesting since this film was made when antibiotics did not exist, so this was incredibly important. In recent years, healthcare has become more about partnering with the patient for a plan of care, but historically speaking, this is a recent development. Full disclosure here: it has been well over 40 years since I was in a labor and delivery room, but I still get the feeling that the best practice is for the expectant mother to leave her modesty at the door. Giving birth and modesty are not compatible. When I was in nursing school, they were still doing the shave and 3H enema and were doing it up through the 90s, but nowadays, that has changed unless the patient requests it, which still happens. I remember one patient complaining about her enema and stating that they got it ready, and then they delayed, and she said, "Mine was cold by the time they got around to it." I replied, "You should get your money back." 😃 Also, one thing that stuck in my mind was the huge colon tube the nurse used to give the enema. Did anyone else notice that?

Anyway, thanks for sharing these incredibly interesting films!

Wow.