England Occupations, Nurses, Midwives, Veterinarians - International Institute

Nurses
Due to the prejudices of the time, the concept of females being involved in the medical profession was completely alien to Victorian Society. They were considered "too delicate" and "too sensitive" for such activities.

The only area where females were allowed was in midwifery; the practice of assisting women in childbirth. It was both socially and aesthetically unacceptable for the male of the species to be involved in such a mundane and unclean arena, and so, from time immemorial, women were the midwives and took the responsibility for both mother and newborn child.

That changed with a woman called Florence Nightingale. She was an English Social Reformer, Statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She came to prominence during the Crimean War that started in 1853, and established a nursing hospital for the British Military in Scutari near Constantinople. Using her family wealth, she advertised back in the UK for single women to join her in Türkiye to care for the wounded. On her return to Britain, she established the first nursing school in the world at St. Thomas’s Hospital in London.

The LMA (London Metropolitan Archives) leaflet #9 describes their considerable holdings in this area. Rose writes on tracing nursing ancestors. The survival of records for those who trained or worked in workhouse infirmaries is generally good in London.

Registration for nurses started in 1921 after the Nurses Act of 1919 including a general register and separate sections for male nurses, fever nurses, mental nurses and paediatric nurses. Although untrained nurses already competent and experienced were allowed to register in 1921, from that time on all registrants had to have completed an approved three-year training programme. In 1943 a roll of assistant nurses was established, and these two rolls from their beginning until 1973, partially indexed, form part of the Public Record Office’s holdings, see their leaflets D79 (Civilians) and M55 (army nurses). For further details on nursing records see Daykin (Nurses and Midwives Records in The Family and Local History Handbook. 6th edition, page 25-27. Genealogical Services Directory, 2002), and Bourne and Chicken (Records of the Medical Professions. A Practical Guide for the Family Historian. Self-published, 1994. ).

Midwives
Experienced and sensible midwives have always been a part of history, but there were a lot of ignorant, dirty ones who transmitted diseases between patients as well as causing the death of mothers and children (Lodey). In 1511 the church instituted the first licensing system in order that a midwife could baptize a sickly infant thought unlikely to survive until a minister could arrive. The prevailing superstition was that witches would use the flesh of unbaptized children to boil with nightshade and antimony to make ointment (salve) to allow them to fly! A licence had to be obtained from a bishop or archbishop in order to practice in his jurisdiction. By 1603 a woman had to affirm that she was of the Protestant faith, (though exceptions did occur), and that she was competent through serving an apprenticeship with an experienced midwife. The registers may include testimonials from six to eight midwives or ladies she had successfully delivered (see chart below).

CHART: Example of Midwife’s Licence from Register of Diocese of Canterbury

Licensing of midwives by the church died out in the 18th century, but at the same time female midwives were largely ousted by male ones (Prest). This trend was reversed in the 19th century. The trained Midwives Registration Society (now the Royal College of Midwifery) was formed in 1881 and although formal qualifications were not required many would have held a diploma from the London Obstetrical Society. A central Board for regulation of the profession was set up in 1902, and from 1921 midwives had first to become qualified nurses before entering this specialty. Fincher (The Seventeenth Century Midwife. Journal of the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Vol 8 #7, page 263) has some early history, and there is a good two-part article by Lodey (Old Occupations: A Labour of Love [Midwives). Family Tree Magazine. Part I in Vol 6 #9, page 4-5; Part II in Vol 6 #10, page 4-5) on midwives.

Veterinarians
The veterinary profession derives from the old trade of farriery and in 1844 the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons was established. For another 37 years the members co-existed with farriers in providing medical services, but the 1881 Veterinary Surgeons Act restricted the practice of animal medicine to qualified vets (Bailey 1977, Davies). Cole recommends a history of the profession by Pattison (The British Veterinary Profession 1791-1948. J.J. Allen, 1984). Roper (The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Family History News and Digest Vol 13 #4, page 157-159) has provided an up-to-date survey of sources at the RCVS, including a complete card index of vets from the 1790s to the 1950s, and information about the International Dictionary of Veterinary Medicine.

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