Grantly Dick-Read

Grantly Dick-Read (1890–1959) was a British obstetrician and author associated with the promotion of “natural childbirth.” He argued that fear and tension could intensify pain in labour and encouraged approaches aimed at reducing anxiety and supporting physiological birth. Dick-Read set out these ideas for a wide readership in *Childbirth Without Fear* (1942), a book that became his best-known work and helped popularize his views beyond medical circles. Through his writing and public advocacy, he influenced mid-20th-century discussions about maternity care and women’s experiences of labour, and he remains a notable figure in the history of childbirth education.