The Italian Gynaecology at the beginnings of the twentieth century: analysis of medical records from the Institute directed by Luigi Mangiagalli

The history of the modern Italian gynecology is closely related to the figure of an enlightened clinician and passionate master, Luigi Mangiagalli (1850-1928), who, with good reason, can be considered one of the fathers of this discipline. In 1906, Mangiagalli founded the Obstetric-Gynecological Institute in Milan, directing this structure until 1925. The aim of this paper is to describe some aspects of Italian gynecology at the beginnings of the twentieth century through the analysis of 250 original medical records, dating back to the years 1906-1912, fragments of real life of women, midwives and doctors in a pioneering era of obstetrics and gynecology.