Article in History Today, October 2025 edition

Look out for Alanna’s article about the Chamberlen family in the October edition of History Today.

The Chamberlen family of male midwives invented the forceps in the 1600s to help with the safe delivery of babies, but the mere existence of the instrument was kept secret –from even the labouring mother.

It’s one of the fascinating stories of medicine and medical practitioners during the Renaissance period which features in Alanna’s forthcoming book, ‘The Surgeon, The Midwife, The Quack: How to Stay Alive in Renaissance England’, out on 16 October.