Soranus, fl. 1st–2d cent. A.D., Greek physician, probably b. Ephesus. He is believed to have practiced in Alexandria and in Rome and was an authority on obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics....

Obstetrics, branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth (see birth), and the time after childbirth. Obstetricians work to ensure that pregnancy...

Blackwell, Elizabeth, 1821–1910, American physician, b. England; sister of Henry Brown Blackwell. She was the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree, which was granted (1...

Morton, Rosalie Slaughter, 1876–1955, American surgeon, b. Lynchburg, Va., M.D. Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1897. She was the first woman faculty member of both the New York Polyc...

Midwifery, art of assisting at childbirth. The term midwife for centuries referred to a woman who was an overseer during the process of delivery. In ancient Greece and Rome, these women had so...

Infertility, inability to conceive or carry a child to delivery. The term is usually limited to situations where the couple has had intercourse regularly for one year without using birth contr...