Review article
ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS OF ORGANISED EDUCATION IN OBSTETRICS IN RIJEKA AND THE FIRST MIDWIFE TEXTBOOK IN CROATIAN
Jovan Maksimovic
Abstract
At the beginning of the 18th century; midwives from the inland were taught and examined
by local physicians and surgeons; and even some priests. Midwives from Rijeka
took examinations first in Trieste and later in Rijeka. The examiner was Dr Xavier
Graziani; the famous physician in Rijeka and health organizer in the second half of the
18th century.
In 1786; the first Midwifery School was founded in Rijeka together with the first
Maternity Hospital; the oldest in Croatia. That school did not last long and was closed
in 1799 after the death of Dr Jacob Cosmini who. founded the school; managed it;
trained and examined the midwives.
The second part of this review includes a part of an unpublished manuscript (145 pages
of text and 12 tables and drawings) of a textbook for midwives written by Dr Ivan
Carrobi in 1795. Had it been published; it would have been the first illustrated medical
textbook in one of the south Slavic languages. It is possible that Dr Carrobi wrote it in
order to succeed Dr Jacob Cosmini in Rijeka's first Midwifery School. That attempt
was not successful. Throughout the 19th century there were no training schools for
midwives in Rijeka.
Keywords
history of medicine; 18th century; midwife school; midwife books; Croatia; Rijeka
Hrčak ID:
101761
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2004.
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