Google Doodle Celebrates - Celebrating Justine Siegemund | 28-March
Today's Doodle honors Justine Siegemund, a 17th-century midwife who dared to confront patriarchal attitudes. She was the first person in Germany to write a book from a woman's perspective on obstetrics. The European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) certified The Court Midwife as an authentic medical textbook on this date in 1690. Siegemund was the first woman to write an influential medical text in German at a time when few women had access to formal education.
Siegmund was born in Rohnstock, Lower Silesia, around 1636. As a young lady, her prolapsed uterus was mistaken as pregnant by uninformed midwives. This distressing experience motivated her to pursue a career as a midwife and improve obstetrics education.
After completing an internship, Siegemund began her profession as a midwife by providing free services to disadvantaged women. She became well-known for her ability to help people through difficult births in a safe manner, and word quickly traveled throughout the nation.
Siegemund accepted an official post as the City Midwife of Lignitz in 1683, and she eventually became the Court Midwife in Berlin, where she delivered royal children. At this period, she also authored The Court Midwife and significantly improved maternal and newborn health in Germany.
Prior to that time, German midwives primarily transmitted their knowledge orally. There was no uniform method for recording safe birth procedures. The Court Midwife was the first publication to provide an exhaustive guide to childbirth in Germany.
Thank you for laying the groundwork for modern childbirth education, Justine Siegemund! Your legacy continues to motivate clinicians to take a page from your book in order to make labor and delivery safer for everyone.