Magazines for midwives

One of the problems for midwives who worked in remote regions of Spain after qualifying, was the isolation and difficulty of staying up-to-date. To solve this problem, Santa Cristina started to organize short courses once a year to update midwives, and they were attended by professionals from all over Spain. Another solution was through professional journals. Before the Civil War there were several periodic publications for midwives, but the outbreak of the conflict put an end to them all.

In 1953, the first issue of Matronas magazine appeared, the official organ of the School of Midwifery at Santa Cristina in Madrid. The magazine was meant for midwives, although its creator and editor was Professor Francisco Orengo Díaz del Castillo.

The magazine was much appreciated by midwives in rural areas who had problems keeping up with new developments in the profession. This is clear from the “Letters to the Editor” section where, month after month, midwives wrote to complain about the pitiful situation they were in, professional intrusion, and the poor economic and working conditions. The magazine had articles by midwives and doctors, although mostly the latter. There were also other sections like one devoted to religion, another humorous section as well as the official part which helped midwives keep up to date with new legal regulations or with vacancies all over the country. This first magazine for midwives in the post-war period came up against competition when Súrgere appeared, a magazine edited by the Midwifery Section of the National Board of Healthcare Auxiliaries, which was set up in 1953 after the merging of the degree courses.