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submitted 1 day ago by Valuy@lemmy.zip to c/world@lemmy.world
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[-] yesman@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago

This wouldn't' be the first time medical misogyny was fatal.

When professional medicine was new, a doctor (male) was about three or four times more likely to kill a pregnant person or their infant than the midwife (female), who knew about washing her hands. The AMA was a pioneer in early American anti-abortion activism. Not for moral objection, just to discredit midwives and clever-women who dominated reproductive care at that time.

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 10 points 20 hours ago

I agree with the medical misogyny part but the hand washing nurses part is incorrect AFAIK. They weren't washing their hands either but the doctors were working on cadavers and so more riddled with nasty bacteria.

Women giving birth in the street had higher survival rates than either of the two hospitals in question which is fucking wild.

Half arsed history does a really great episode on it. Episode 91. Highly recommended.

Even after Semmelweis forced everyone to wash their hands and proved how life saving it was, he got enormous pushback for the notion that doctors could be killing their patients. Arrogance costing lives.

this post was submitted on 11 May 2026
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