10 Facts About Elizabeth Nihell

Elizabeth Nihell was an Englishwoman from London, who was a famous midwife, obstetrics writer, and polemicist.

Elizabeth Nihell was most famous for her outspoken stance against male midwives and for her publications.

Elizabeth Nihell was the fourth son in a well-known family of merchants, medical men, and priests.

Elizabeth Nihell started her midwife training in 1747 at the Hotel Dieu in Paris for two years under Marie-Claude Pour.

Elizabeth Nihell's publication spoke about how instruments brought into the birthing room by male midwives were usually unnecessary and caused harm to the baby.

Elizabeth Nihell told readers that they had the right to any decisions in the birthing room, not the male midwives.

Elizabeth Nihell believed that for an easy delivery, assistance from a midwife was all that was needed and for extreme situations all that was required was knowledge, experience, tenderness, and presence of mind.

Elizabeth Nihell even stated that male midwives would get paid more than female midwives.

However, Elizabeth Nihell fought back with anonymous publications, letters to the press, and a treatise titled The Danger and Immodesty of the Present too General Customs of Unnecessarily Employing Men-Midwives.

Elizabeth Nihell even called one critic a buffoon, which was unheard of as women in this time period were not supposed to be outspoken.