The medical care of pregnant women (obstetrics) and of female genital diseases (gynecology) developed along different historical paths. Obstetrics had for a long time been the province of female midwives (see midwifery), but in the 17th century, European physicians began to attend on normal deliveries of royal and aristocratic families; from that beginning, the practice grew and spread to the middle classes. The invention of the forceps used in delivery, the introduction of anesthesia, and Ignaz Semmelweis’s discovery of the cause of puerperal
- The obstetrician’s main tasks are to diagnose and bring a woman through pregnancy, deliver her child, and give the new mother adequate postnatal care.
- most-important surgical operation performed by obstetricians is cesarean section. Episiotomy, a surgical procedure in which an incision is used to enlarge the vaginal
- Gynecology as a branch of medicine dates back to Greco-Roman civilization, if not earlier. The renewal of interest in diseases of women is shown in the huge encyclopaedia of gynecology
They diagnose and treat conditions related to the reproductive system, such as performing screening exams, offering birth control counseling, and preventing infections. Most OB/GYNs perform surgery, and often consult with other healthcare professionals. OB/GYNS work in outpatient clinics and hospitals.
Obstetrics is the branch of medicine related to medical and surgical care before, during, and after a woman gives birth. Obstetrics focuses on caring for and maintaining a woman's overall health during maternity.
The field is called obstetrics, and both words (along with the alternative adjective obstetrical) come from the Modern Latin root obstetrix, which means "midwife," or literally, "one who stands opposite."