[Birth and death of a profession. Certified midwives in Mexico (Spanish)].

This study examines the rise and development of professional midwifery in Mexico. The authors sustain that this profession was created in the 19th century by the medical profession as a means to eliminate traditional midwives and obtain access to pregnant women, women about to give birth, and women in the puerperal period. The relationship between physicians and midwives was never without its contradictions; however, conflicts increased after the establishment of gynecology as a specialty in Mexico. In the 20th century, physicians imposed increasingly stringent limitations on the activities of certified midwives and instead promoted training for traditional midwives, until professional midwifery was abandoned.