G.I. 2018
XSEXCENTENARY
NOT DEAD YET 1
Beloved Mothers
Norma and Wanda catch each others eye, turn to Kate, and say together: "Beloved mother."
Kate: “Agnes Strang, the wife of Allan Gilmour, died in childbirth during the winter of 1849 and was interred in December, aged 33, leaving behind three young children, plus the new baby."
Kate and Wanda catch each other's eye, turn to Norma, and say together: "Beloved mother."
Norma stands and speaks...
“In the 19th century, increasing doctors’ involvement in births - which had previously been attended solely by midwives - meant a greater proportion of births were subject to the additional risk of maternal death which the doctors brought with them, their lack of hygiene and unsterilized medical equipment leading to the mother’s genital tract getting infected. Out of 100,000 births, about 500 to 1,000 ended with the death of the mother. This means every 100th to 200th birth led to the mother’s death.”
Kate and Norma catch each other's eye, turn to Wanda, and say together: "Beloved mother."
Wanda: “The 100-fold decline of maternal mortality from 1930 to the present is due to the modern scientific understanding of the causes of maternal mortality and the adoption of practices which appear surprisingly simple in hindsight. Like washing your hands.”
After a pause for reflection, it's on to the next action...
Which can be found here