If anyone is interested there is a sequel to Gay Courter's
midwife book which takes place after the heroine comes to the
U.S. from Eastern Euorpe. The action is on the Lower East Side
at the turn of the century and has lots of information
about the move to hospital births and the move away from
midwives to physician attended births. It's called The MIdwife's
Advice and I think it was just as good as The Midwife.
Naomi Bar-Yam