Wendy Savage's new book - Birth and Power

Twenty-two years ago, Wendy Savage was suspended from medical practice for alleged incompetence in the management of five obstetric cases. The subsequent debate and public enquiry became a cause célèbre. A Savage Enquiry (first published by Virago in 1986) is a gripping account of the resulting, highly publicised investigation. The book identified six key issues raised by the case:

Who controls childbirth? • What services do women want and who decides what they get? • Who is accountable to whom in the NHS? • Who defines incompetence in a field like obstetrics, where opinions differ greatly? • Are the procedures for disciplining doctors appropriate and cost effective? • How can the freedom of academic staff in medical schools to advance new or unorthodox opinions be protected?

In this new book, Wendy Savage and other eminent contributors examine what has happened since the issues were brought into focus twenty years ago and consider what still needs to be done. Contributions include a woman surgeon’s personal account of suspension from practice; an account of the threats to academic freedom written by Anne Maclean, an academic who blew the whistle and suffered the consequences; and a discussion on accountability by the esteemed professor, James Drife. Birth and Power will be of particular interest to academics, health workers, social researchers, teachers, students and mothers. Birth and Power contains the complete text of A Savage Enquiry.

A book launch for Birth and Power will be held at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, London on Monday April 23 2007

http://www.mupress.co.uk/products.asp?recid=238