M0007450: Palermo parturition chair, 18th century

Previous title, replaced May 2020: Hieronymus Mercurialis, De arte gymnastica.

Photograph of an early 18th century parturition chair known as 'The Miraculous Chair of Palermo', in the possession of a family of midwives for three generations and estimated to have been used for two thousand deliveries. The chair was accessioned by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum on 2nd September 1943 (R115/1943) but is not held by Wellcome Collection. Another photograph of this image was accessioned by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum on 26th November 1935 (PHO 6261).

6 September 1940

1 photograph sheet film negative; 12.6 x 10 cm

Wellcome Collection holds the accession register for the item depicted in the glass plate negative:R115/1943. Wellcome Collection holds the accession register for another photogra

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2020.

Please consult the digitised version as this item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.