Teaching the theory

The classroom for the teaching of theory was located on the first or main floor, just in front of the delivery room, which was in the surgical block between the operations room on the ground floor and the second delivery room on the second floor. Theory in the first year included notions of Anatomy, Physiology (as we can see written on the blackboard) and Hygiene. The practical training included an important novelty compared with that received by midwives until then, and that was a knowledge of nursing, yet another step towards transforming the profession into mere medical auxiliaries in a hospital, rather than working freely and independently attending deliveries at home, the natural habitat of the midwife. The second year focused on learning Obstetrics, both in theory and in practice.  In addition, the first year training taught the students how to handle women after an operation correctly as well as newborn babies.

In the centre’s memoirs, signed by José Gálvez Ginachero, it says:

«In this classroom we have brought together the necessary elements for teaching, from the bones of adults and foetuses, to an elastic figure of a man, anatomical layers, prepared and artificial pelvises and normal and pathological ones, an articulated skeleton, adult and foetal skulls, a Tarnier bronze pelvis which is so useful  for understanding the difficulties, a Budin and Pinard mannequin, etc.»

Part of this teaching material is preserved in the small museum of the now Hospital Universitario de Santa Cristina.