Book of the Month: The Compleat Midwife’s Companion

Very little is known about the author of this book, Jane Sharp, other than that she was an English midwife who, in an age when few women wrote books, published The Midwives Book: or the Whole Art of Midwifery in 1671, becoming the first English woman to publish a book on midwifery.

Sharpe draws on her own, 40 year, experience as a midwife combined with the accepted medical knowledge of the day. She claims in the introduction, "I have been at a large expense in translating of books, either French, Dutch or Italian of this kind; the marrow of which I offer with my own experience".

The book is presented as a self-guide manual for women, taking them through conception, pregnancy, birth and postnatal care. Sharp is extremely critical of man-midwives, believing them to be expensive and unnecessary. The book is dedicated "To the celebrated Midwives of Great Britain and Ireland" whom she addresses as "Sisters".

The book enjoyed great success and went through four editions by 1725, with the title being slightly changed to the extremely long version as illustrated. Astonishingly, it has remained in print to the present day and has been the inspiration for a children's book (The Midwife's Apprentice, 1996) and a play (The Man who discovered that Women lay Eggs, 2005).

The Dun's Library holds a copy of the 4th edition of this work, published in London in 1725. It was originally acquired by Dr. Fleetwood Churchill, the great 19th century obstetrician, and came to the College as part of Churchill's bequest of his wonderful collection of over 600 rare and important books on obstetrics and gynaecology.

Robert Mills, RCPI Librarian

Conservation Treatment of the College’s Grant of Arms

Earlier this year Dr Hima, one of the Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, very generously sponsored the restoration of the College's Grant of Arms. Dating from 1667 this is the oldest item in the College's archive, and records the granting of the College's Arms and Motto by the Ulster King of Arms, Sir Richard St. George. The conservation work was carried out at The Paper Conservation Studio in Dublin. This post written by Rebecca de Bút, one of the conservators at the studio, details how the item was treated.

Condition of item pre-treatment

The object was in poor condition and had suffered due to the poor mounting technique, surface dirt and poor handling during its lifetime. The image was attached to a poor quality wooden backing and held by small nails pined through the edge of the image attaching it to a wooden backing. This band of nails had been covered with strips of silk to hide them but these have been lost. The image was surrounded by a covering of red silk to hide the appearance of the wood and there was considerable moisture staining at the edge of the red silk. It was undulated and tension had built up where the nails had been applied. There had been a degree of pigment loss from the surface of the work and elements of cracking in some areas where the pigment was thickest and more fragile. Surface dirt was noted in various parts of the support and around the nails.

Conservation Goals

The aim of the treatment was the cleaning, repairing and humidification of the parchment. Following this a mount and frame would be created to support the parchment for display and storage.

Parchment

The Grant of Arms is a parchment item, which requires specialist treatment during conservation work. Parchment is the skin of an animal which has not been put through a tanning process and made into what we call leather. Parchment was made from the fine sheep or goatskin, which is also used in the making of a bodhrán (traditional Irish drum). Vellum was also used to create illuminative texts such as the book of Kells and is made from the finer skins of calves. During the production phase the hair and other follicle matter was removed by liming and the skins stretched out and dried. The surface was rubbed with chalk and pumice and the surfaced shaved with special tools. This gave the parchment its flat surface for writing and the application of pigment.

The problem with parchment stem from the reactions it has to fluctuations in moisture and temperature. If too dry the parchment may crack and if too moist it may distort by shrinking or expanding. This can lead to tensions in the parchment which in turn affects the surface where the media has been placed. The pigment can crack if it was applied heavily and flake off the surface over time. Some inks such as Iron Gall ink can burn through the surface and lead to losses in print and parchment. These distortions can also be exacerbated by poor housing as the tensions can lead to tearing if the parchment is not supported correctly to allow for expansion and contraction over time. This is a common problem with parchment and has affected the charter where it has been held in place using nails.

Conservation Treatment

After assessing the objects condition the following treatment were carried out;

1.    The surface was dry cleaned (non-aqueous method) using chemical sponge. The areas around the nails were cleaned using a poultice to help soften engrained surface dirt.

2.    The object was then humidified to relax and soften the parchment for manipulation under tension.

3.    The object was then pressed under weight to allow the parchment to dry as flat as possible.

4.    Tabs of Japanese paper were applied to the four edges of the work with the centre of the object being held in place. These will be used to adhere it to a backing of conservation board which will support the parchment support.

5.    The holes left behind by the removal of the nails were covered using the strips of Japanese paper.

6.    A custom built window mount was made to allow the text to be viewed and help support the wax seal.

7.    A new frame was made and commissioned to receive the object and the frame was sealed to protect it from dirt and environmental changes in the future.

Outcome

The degradation and weakening edges due to the nails have been filled and are now supported by Japanese paper. The object is now stable and in a controlled and supportive mount and frame. This will enable the object to be viewed within its frame and housed under tension if removed from the frame.

Rebecca de Bút, Conservator, The Paper Conservation Studio

Launch of the ‘History of Occupational Health in Ireland’

Today saw the launch of a new history of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, written by a former Dean of the Faculty, Prof John Malone.

Founded in 1976, the objectives of the Faculty were to advance the science and practice of occupational medicine and to promote education, study and research in the specialty. The volume recounts the history of the Faculty's early years of development, as it anticipated and reacted to new Health and Safety Legislation emerging from Europe. The Faculty also developed the Licentiate and Membership Examinations which became sought after qualifications at home and abroad. Annual examinations have been held in Ireland since 1983, in Malaysia since 1995 and most recently in the United Arab Emirates.

The book gives a chronological account of the activities of the Faculty, moving through the terms of office of the various Deans of the Faculty from 1976-2010, drawing heavily on the archive of the Faculty. It covers that period of change that affected many disciplines involved in occupational health, i.e. nurses, hygienists, toxicologists, safety officers, psychologists and others, as well as the changes that the factory doctor underwent as they became a 21^st century occupational physician. The fractions and frictions that arose are not omitted, as these are a real part of the events recorded.

Occupations Health in Ireland – A History is available from the RCPI Heritage Centre at a price of €30. All profits from the sale of the book will go to The Samaritans. To order a copy please email heritagecentre@rcpi.ie