The Art of Childbirth of the Midwives of Al-Andalus: Social Assessment and Legal Implication of Health Assistance in the Cultural Diversity of the 10th–14th Centuries

Abstract

Contexto: El papel de las mujeres de Al-Ándalus fue resultado de los procesos de arabización e islamización en la península ibérica. Entre los siglos X y XIV existió una gran diversidad cultural en la región, y las médicas y parteras desempeñaron un papel fundamental en la atención sanitaria femenina. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión exploratoria utilizando el modelo dialéctico estructural del cuidado y diversas fuentes médicas y legislativas primarias. Resultados: Se identificaron dos tipos de parteras o qabila, así como la figura de la médica t.ab¯ıba, que también actuaba como partera. Estas profesionales recibían formación específica y desarrollaban funciones obstétricas y pediátricas. Además, gozaban de reconocimiento social y actuaban en contextos legales y judiciales. Conclusiones: Las sociedades patriarcales presentaban importantes desigualdades en la formación académica y transmisión del conocimiento, aunque las parteras ocuparon un papel esencial en la atención pública y sanitaria entre los siglos X y XIV.

(1) Background: The role of Al-Andalus’s women were the result of Arabization and Islamization in Spain. The 10th to the 14th centuries were a time of significant cultural diversity in the region. Female physicians and midwives were important for providing care to women. Despite existing studies, there is still a lack of focused research on the professionalization of these trades, including their requirements, intervention areas, and treatments. (2) Methods: To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review using the dialectical structural model of care (DSMC). Primary medical and legislative sources were used. (3) Results: two kinds of midwife, or qabila, were discovered, along with a woman physician, or t.ab¯ıba, who also acted as a midwife. These professions underwent diverse training and fulfilled duties as obstetricians and pediatricians. Midwives were esteemed members of society and were the sole female professionals who needed qualified training. Their performance in the courts was exemplary. Tools for facilitating childbirth and interventions related to female health were discovered in the study. (4) Conclusions: The patriarchal societies suffer from significant inequality in terms of academic training, knowledge transmission, and healthcare provision. Midwives functioned in segregated domestic and legal spaces and were responsible for providing public care to communities from the 10th to 14th centuries.