Plan of the Imperial and Royal Provincial Birthing House Anonymous, 1821

The Woman in Childbed as an Object of Study

From 1789, the Graz birthing house was accommodated in the General Hospital, Paulustorgasse 8. In the lowest one of the four price categories, women could give birth to their children without paying, and hand them over to the foundling asylum—however, only if they produced a certificate of poverty and a confirmation that they had lived in Graz for ten years or at the time of conception. At the same time, they had to do simple work and be available for obstetrics courses of doctors. From 1,000 babies who were born there only 20 were legitimate.