Steel forceps by Weber. Obstetric forceps were first used in the eighteenth century, especially by the 'man-midwives' who were moving into the profession. Dr. William Chamberlain devised the first obstetrical forceps in the late sixteenth century. Two tong-like blades were inserted separately into the mother's birth canal and around the baby's head, then locked together to ease the baby out. In the mid eighteenth century many 'men-midwives' emerged, leading to contributions to the anatomical understanding of gestation and birth. English surgeon William Smellie (1697-1763) and French surgeon Andre Levret (1703-80) simultaneously improved the forceps by adding interlocking blades and a pelvic curve to the instrument. This basic type is still in use today.