Arta moșitului: practică tradițională și element de identitate culturală

Abstract

In the Republic of Moldova, research on the custom of midwifery has been undertaken sporadically, and exegesis focused on the analysis of this practice are few in relation to the cultural and social importance of the custom. Thus, we consider the development of a study, dedicated to the knowledge and practices of traditional midwifery in the Republic of Moldova, useful and necessary, because our people have had an ancient tradition of midwifery; the midwife being one of the most respected persons in traditional communities. The complexity of the knowledge, related to the practices of birth, care of the newborn and of the puerpera, together with the ethical and moral aspects that the midwife’s activity involves in the community, are preserved as ethno-cultural values to this day and represent true elements of heritage, which deserve to be promoted, capitalized and introduced, as much as possible, in current medical practice.