With loving hands: the life stories of four nurse-midwives

This research consists of the biographies of four women who practiced nurse-midwifery during the first forty years of the profession's existence. Analysis of the biographical information reveals that the four subjects share many similar characteristics. It is postulated that these shared characteristics led to the particular response which each woman made to the challenges she met in the course of her career; each of these nurse-midwives created structures designed to meet the urgent needs of mothers and babies in this country for adequate health care. The accomplishments of the four nurse-midwives are examined in light of the changes in childbirth practices which occurred in the first half of the twentieth century.