1540
THE BIRTH OF MANKIND PUBLISHED
Based on a work by Eucharius Rösslin, and translated into English by Richard Jonas, this is thought to be the first book published in England on the subject of midwifery and receives 13 separate editions across 100 years.
1600s
INVENTION OF OBSTETRICAL FORCEPS
Peter Chamberlen, a member of a family of surgeons and practising midwives, develops the obstetrical forceps. The family keeps the creation a secret for over