Why bellows were used in childbirth

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:07]The Chamberlen family was a successful dynasty of obstetricians in the 17th century.

[00:00:12]Why did they use blindfolds, bells, and bellows while delivering babies?

[00:00:18]I will repeat it again.

[00:00:19]The Chamberlen family was a successful dynasty of obstetricians in the 17th century.

[00:00:24]Why did they use blindfolds, bells, and bellows while delivering babies?

[00:00:29]You're asking this on an episode of Lateral, where you have four people who read as default man.

[00:00:36]Good luck, everybody! We'll get through this.

[00:00:38]I'm an alternative man, Tom.

[00:00:40]Yeah. (laughs) I'm a— I'm weird as hell.

[00:00:44]Immediate thought is like, okay, there's a dynasty of OB-GYNs, right?

[00:00:50]And so if they're delivering babies, maybe 'cause it's old timey times, they needed to wear a blindfold, so that they, you know, people felt comfortable being examined or whatever.

[00:01:02]That's my starting place. Is that anything?

[00:01:04]How would you examine them if you have a blindfold on? Just... (chuckles) I don't know.

[00:01:09]That you would be able to— They did a lot of weird stuff back then.

[00:01:12]Yeah.

[00:01:13]Blindfolds, bells, and bellows reminds me of like a Victorian séance.

[00:01:20]So, the mediums who were claiming to communicate with the dead would put on blindfolds, and they would mysteriously make bells ring.

[00:01:29]And I guess you could use bellows to create draughts of air or some sort of effect.

[00:01:35]I dunno how that goes back to obstetricians in... what year was this? 17th century.

[00:01:39]I dunno how that goes back to 17th century obstetricians, but... it's the recipe for a Victorian séance.

[00:01:46]This would be a lot easier if Sam just told us what it was.

[00:01:48]Yeah. (laughs heartily) That's true.

[00:01:51]Tonight on Straightforward!

[00:01:53]Okay. It's like, I feel like back then, they were also doing all kinds of— 'Literal' was right there!

[00:01:58]Mmh. 'Literal' would've been good.

[00:02:01]That would've been good.

[00:02:02]Hey, Tom, you got to it pretty quick.

[00:02:04]You should feel good. You got there pretty fast.

[00:02:06]Okay. I feel like back then, they were doing lots of... people were like, would go... Maybe this was— maybe I've got my times wrong, but people would go see surgeries for fun.

[00:02:18]It was like... there was a lot of anatomic entertainment.

[00:02:23]Is this like a circus?

[00:02:24]It's like the— it's like Cirque du Soleil, but they're having babies.

[00:02:28]But this is pre-anaesthetic as well.

[00:02:31]I'm pretty sure 17th century is pre-anesthetic, so.

[00:02:34]Oh yeah. Well that, yeah.

[00:02:35]Could that be it?

[00:02:36]It's like, you blindfold the patient.

[00:02:38]And then you play bells, and you blow air on them just to distract them while you gotta do whatever you're doing.

[00:02:46]Nope.

[00:02:48]It's a 17th century equivalent of jangling keys in front of the new— No.

[00:02:52]Yeah. I mean, that might have worked.

[00:02:54]Yeah. I don't know, but... this is in fact not for the benefit of the patient at all.

[00:03:00]Okay. Does it have anything to do with trying to announce something? Because... bells would be used— Is it to try to alert... you know, whoever needs to know that a baby has been born is like they would ring bells, so then the husband knows to come and meet the baby?

[00:03:18]'Cause I was thinking little hand bell.

[00:03:20]We don't know the size of this bell.

[00:03:22]Could be a big old church bell.

[00:03:23]No, it's not for the sake of informing.

[00:03:27]And in fact, in some ways, I think it's kind of for the opposite.

[00:03:32]For keeping it a secret. Oh, is it— Was it— Oh, okay.

[00:03:35]Is it to make a lot of noise, so that people aren't hearing the pain and difficulty of childbirth?

[00:03:45]Okay, you're getting closer.

[00:03:46]But again, it's not for the patient's benefit.

[00:03:48]It's really actually, specifically for the Chamberlen family's benefit.

[00:03:53]Maybe people lived in this house, and they were always delivering babies, and they were like, "I don't wanna see babies getting delivered, so if I walk through that room, I'm gonna wear a blindfold".

[00:04:02]No.

[00:04:03]Is it somehow, are the— okay, are these things being used to distract people in some way?

[00:04:10]Kind of, but yes.

[00:04:12]So they are a distraction, or they are meant to— Are they meant to drown out the noise of childbirth in some way?

[00:04:20]Most of that is correct, what you just said.

[00:04:24]Kind of.

[00:04:25]Is it because like they were— it was a secret practice?

[00:04:29]Like they weren't supposed to be doing this, and they had to... disguise the operation?

[00:04:36]Hold on, Ben. That's a really good idea.

[00:04:37]Because I'm sure there were like guilds of... I'm not— I'm just gonna say medical people, because I don't know the right terms, who treated it as a very tight-knit community that shared skills and inducted new members, rather than today's science, like teach anyone who wants to, it would be, this is to protect our craft and our revenue and our skills, we need... like you said, to stop the secret getting out, of what we do.

[00:05:06]What I would like to say, Ben, sort of to— in response to your question: It's not a secret practice... but they did have a secret practice.

[00:05:15]At this time... they were basically innovators.

[00:05:21]They were doing, you know, they were baby birthing innovators, or whatever.

[00:05:28]That does fit the tune of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

[00:05:31](wheezes) Mhm.

[00:05:33]And that's something.

[00:05:34]Do you do that math in your head every time anyone says anything, Tom?

[00:05:38]If it has— It's a curse.

[00:05:40]It's an absolute curse.

[00:05:42]What, eight syllables?

[00:05:43]There are multiple patterns in my head that my brain just pattern matches.

[00:05:47]Okay, they... What was their innovation?

[00:05:52]In the world of childbirth, right?

[00:05:55]We are discussing childbirth, right?

[00:05:57]Yes. That's what they're— That's what's occurring. Yeah.

[00:06:00]Okay, so what did they invent that aided in childbirth?

[00:06:06]So... I think you guys basically have it.

[00:06:09]You have all the pieces.

[00:06:10]Just putting it together, like what is the purpose of the bells, blindfolds, bellows, et cetera?

[00:06:18]Presumably it is, they are distract— I guess, I guess before we were saying it was to distract people just who didn't want to experience the noise, but I think what we're landing on is, it's to— It's so that people don't discover whatever the innovation is in childbirth that they have developed.

[00:06:36]Yeah. Right? It's like, to keep it secret.

[00:06:38]I think that's it.

[00:06:39]They blindfold anyone in the room.

[00:06:42]They blindfold the mother, presumably.

[00:06:44]Yep.

[00:06:45]Then the bells and the bellows are just... additional stuff they bring in and make noise with, and do stuff with, to obfuscate.

[00:06:55]That's the word.

[00:06:57]It's not distract, it's to obfuscate.

[00:06:58]It's so you can't tell what the thing is.

[00:07:02]Exactly, yep. So what was the thing?

[00:07:04]Metal forceps.

[00:07:06]Which I guess are just like baby tongs.

[00:07:08]I guess? (wheezes) Sure.

[00:07:12]How are bells gonna prevent you from realizing that the forc— Because it's metal.

[00:07:16]They don't want to the metal clanking.

[00:07:19]So you do like other, you know.

[00:07:20]Ohh! Ohh.

[00:07:21]But they, just like, they, yeah, they just made a bunch of sounds and, you know, blew air around and blindfold— Do you think they— Do you think the baby got a blindfold when it came out?

[00:07:32](laughs) I hope so.

[00:07:33]It would've looked so cute.

[00:07:34]Yeah, so, you know, with all that distraction and everything... apparently this— the forceps came in this large ornate box, and it was presented as like a secret device, and they managed to keep the secret for 100 years.

[00:07:51]Wow. No one else came up with metal forceps for a century?

[00:07:57]Guess not.

[00:07:58]I could come up with that right now.

[00:08:00]Come up with it, Ben, do it.

[00:08:01]I just did, in my head. Damn. So cool.

[00:08:03]That's awesome, dude. Congrats.

[00:08:06]The Lateral book is out now!

[00:08:08]Just click on the link to get your copy.

[00:08:11]Caption+ by JS* caption.plus | @caption_plus