Stellenbosch University, Department of History, Wilcocks Building Room 3028, c/o Ryneveld and Victoria Street, 7600 Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2019 May;236:22-25. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2019.02.020. Epub 2019 Mar 2.
Many societies and their medical practitioners throughout the world have historically linked lunar phases to the frequency of births. During more recent decades, academics have discussed this alleged relationship using modern data, obtaining differing results.
The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between the phases of the moon and the frequency of deliveries in a rural historical context without electricity, and among women of low nutritional status. These characteristics are similar to some current rural areas in certain developing countries. The exceptionality of this case will allow us to test several of the existing theories on how the moon could influence births, particularly those related to lunar light. We will also analyse nulliparous and multiparous differences over the very long term.
This study is a retrospective cohort analysis. In total, 23,689 births have been considered for 1484 lunar cycles between 1810 and 1929. Birth registers have been obtained from the Catholic parish archives of 10 rural Spanish agrarian villages. All the deliveries analysed were natural, without any medical follow-up, within the home and with little medical assistance.
Using simple descriptive statistical techniques, we can conclude that there is no pattern with which to link lunar phases with the frequency of births. We can also conclude that neither electricity nor the rural environment affects this alleged relationship; neither have we found any relationship related to either the nulliparous or the multiparous and lunar phases.
The analysis of a 120-year period has shown that there is no predictable influence of the lunar phases on the frequency of births. The myth of such a lunar influence can claim no scientific evidence from a historical perspective. Neither the arrival of the electric light nor the lower number of deliveries per woman have modified birth patterns. Deliveries by rural women of low nutritional status are not linked to the phases of the moon, and consequently the medical services in developing countries should disregard this belief; they do not need to take account of the phases of the moon with respect to their daily organisation.
许多社会及其医学从业者在历史上一直将月球相位与分娩频率联系起来。 在最近几十年，学者们使用现代数据讨论了这种所谓的关系，得出了不同的结果。
本研究的目的是分析在没有电力的农村历史背景下，以及在营养状况低下的妇女中，月亮相位与分娩频率之间的关系。 这些特征与某些发展中国家目前的一些农村地区相似。 这种情况的特殊性将使我们能够测试几种关于月亮如何影响分娩的现有理论，特别是那些与月光有关的理论。 我们还将分析长期以来的初产妇和多产妇差异。
这是一项回顾性队列分析。 总共考虑了 1810 年至 1929 年期间的 1484 个月球周期中的 23689 次分娩。分娩登记册是从 10 个西班牙农村农业教区的天主教教区档案中获得的。 所有分析的分娩都是自然分娩，没有任何医疗随访，在家中进行，医疗援助很少。
使用简单的描述性统计技术，我们可以得出结论，没有任何模式可以将月球相位与分娩频率联系起来。 我们还可以得出结论，无论是电力还是农村环境都不会影响这种所谓的关系； 我们也没有发现任何与初产妇或多产妇和月球相位相关的关系。
对 120 年期间的分析表明，月球相位对分娩频率没有可预测的影响。 从历史角度来看，这种月球影响的神话没有任何科学依据。 电灯的到来以及每位妇女分娩次数的减少都没有改变分娩模式。 营养状况低下的农村妇女的分娩与月球相位无关，因此发展中国家的医疗服务机构不应忽视这种信念； 他们不需要考虑月球相位来安排他们的日常工作。
