Michel Odent

Michel Odent at a conference in Budapest, Hungary, in 2004

Michel Odent is a French obstetrician and childbirth specialist.[1]

Education

Born in a French village in 1930, Odent studied medicine in Paris and was educated as a surgeon in the 1950s. He has been presented in Lancet as “one of the last real general surgeons”.[2]

Professional career

In charge of the surgical and maternity units of the Pithiviers hospital (France) from 1962 to 1985, Odent has developed a special interest in environmental factors influencing the birth process.[3] He introduced the concepts home like birthing rooms, birthing pools and singing sessions for pregnant women. After his hospital career he was involved in home birth, founded in London the Primal Health Research Centre, and designed a database (primalhealthhresearch.org) in order to compile epidemiological studies exploring correlations between what happens during the “Primal period” and health later on.

Publications

Odent is the author of the first articles about the initiation of breastfeeding during the hour following birth, the first article about the use of birthing pools during labour, and the first article applying the “Gate Control Theory of Pain” to obstetrics.[4][5][6][7]

In a book published in 1986 (“Primal Health”) he provided evidence that homeostasis is established during the “primal period” (fetal life, birth and the months following birth): this is the phase of life when human basic adaptive systems are adjusting their “set point levels”. Odent is currently focusing on the possible evolution of Homo sapiens in relation to the modern ways to be born.[8][9]

Odent is the author of 14 books published in 22 languages. In his books he is constantly referring to the concept of reduced neocortical activity as a key to rediscover the basic needs of labouring women and to make possible a real “fetus ejection reflex”.[10]

His books include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/18/men-birth-labour-baby
  2. ↑ Lifeline. About Michel Odent. Lancet 1999;353:764.
  3. ↑ Gillett J. Childbirth in Pithiviers, France. Lancet, October 27, 1979:894-896.
  4. ↑ Odent M. The early expression of the rooting reflex. Proceedings of the 5th International Congress of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rome 1977. London: Academic Press, 1977: 1117-19.
  5. ↑ Odent M. L’expression précoce du réflexe de fouissement. In : Les cahiers du nouveau-né 1978 ; 1-2 : 169-185
  6. ↑ Odent M. Birth under water. Lancet 1983: pp1476-77.
  7. ↑ Odent M. La reflexotherapie lombaire. Efficacité dans le traitement de la colique néphrétique et en analgésie obstétricale. La Nouvelle Presse Medicale 1975 ; 4 (3) :188
  8. ↑ Odent M. Childbirth and the Future of Homo sapiens. Pinter & Martin. London 2013.
  9. ↑ Odent M. What about the future of Homo sapiens? Human Evolution 2013 (in Press).
  10. ↑ Odent M. The fetus ejection reflex. Birth 1987;14(2):104-105.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.