An attempt to prove, on rational principles, that the term of human pregnancy may be considerably extended beyond nine calendar months : comprising the substance of evidence given in the Gardner peerage cause, before the House of Lords, July 4, 1825 / by John Power, M.D.

  • Power, John
Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An attempt to prove, on rational principles, that the term of human pregnancy may be considerably extended beyond nine calendar months : comprising the substance of evidence given in the Gardner peerage cause, before the House of Lords, July 4, 1825 / by John Power, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    so assisted is that which is to enable him to swear to the fact one way or another. Having referred to my note books, having had a very few hours to prepare myself, I have taken out the dates ; not being1 permitted to refer to them, I will refer to my own memory ; but the referring- to memory is a great responsibility, which no medical man would wish to take upon himself. I will refer to a case in my own private practice— a case of my own lady*. By private practice I mean, though I did not attend the lady myself, nor was to have attended her (there were practitioners who were to attend her whom I shall mention), I was in the house, and consequently witness to the time of parturition. Tliis lady passed her menstruation on the 7th of April; on the 15th of August, that is four months and six or seven or eight days [after- wards] she quickened. In the early part of the first week of January heivconfinement was expected. Labour pains came on, a message was sent to Mr. Barrow, an extensive practitioner in midwifery in Davis Street, Grosvenor Square, to keep himself in readiness, he being engaged to attend. Labour pains went off, and everything subsided; the lady went on until the 7th of February, when labour pains came on, and so quick, that thinking it would be impossible to get Mr. Barrow at such a distance, the lady then residing at Brompton, 1 sent for Mr. Thompson, a practitioner in Sloane Street; he arrived however too late — the child was born; he arrived just in time to remove what is called the after-birth. The child was stronger than usual, was large, and was considered by the lady, and by myself, and by Mr. Thompson, and by every one, as a ten month child; and, as I understand, when referred to medically speaking, as an instance of that kind. I will beg to make an observation which may throw some light upon it. I merely mention it thus, because that is the historical part of the case; but an explanation would be necessary in giving a full and comprehensive answer to the question put to me by the learned counsel. Supposing the lady who passed her ex- pected menstruation on the 7th of April, 1815, had only conceived the day before, namely, the latest and most rigorous term one could give, thirty days after the last period of menstruation, or twenty- nine days, we have then a case prima facie of 306 days from the period of impregnation, or of conception, to the day of birth, 305 to the day previous to the birth. But every medical man will, I am sure, bear me out, when I say that it is impossible to speak with pre- cision as to the act of conception having taken place the very day pre- * The Doctor appears to have paid no respect to the following clause of the Hippocratic oath. Whatever in the course of my practice I may see or hear (even when not invited), whatever I may happen to obtain know- ledge of, if it be not proper to repeat it, I will keep sacred and secret, within my own breast. Dr. Granville was not necessitated to tell the name of his patient, unless under veiy peculiar circumstances. Dr. Conquest acted more prudently. (Vide his evidence.) We certainly cannot compliment Dr. Granville on the delicacy evinced in adducing the ahove instance from his private practice ; but the laughter and jeers of his noble auditors must have been a sufficient punishment for his indiscretion, both at the time, and on every future occasion when this point of his evidence was adverted to
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