Observations on the management of tedious labour, with an account of the number of cases that occurred in the Lying-In Hospital, Dublin, from November 1800 to the 31st July 1816 / by John Breen.

  • Breen, John
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the management of tedious labour, with an account of the number of cases that occurred in the Lying-In Hospital, Dublin, from November 1800 to the 31st July 1816 / by John Breen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    The death in the third division arose from debility 30 hours after delivery. Ihe death in the fourth division, fever on the 14th day after delivery. Both the patients whose deaths are marked in the seventh division ;died of fever, one on the 1 Oth day. The day of the death of the other, who was delivered of a dead girl after being 100 hours in labour, is not accurately noted. Table—No. II. 1 Between 30 & ■40 40 & SO 50 & 60 60 & 70 70 & 80 SO & 90 90 & 100 loo & no i lO- Sc 120 Women 23 48 6 l 9 0 2 0 1 Living Children 19 36 4 0 7 0 0 0 1 Women Dying 2 5 0 0 0 0 1 ' 0 0 It now remains to give a concise account of the eight deaths in Table II. In the first division one died of typhus fever on the eighth day after delivery ; and, from recollection and the best account I can obtain, the other laboured under disease on admission. Three among the five deaths in division the second arose from puerperal fever. One from debility thirty hours after de- livery ; and the other was under the care of a midwife, and ill treated before admission. For the remaining death, the patient was ninety-six hours ill, and died of fever on the third day after delivery. By the preceding account of deaths it will be seen, that there were eight cases of fatality from typhus fever. These may be considered, in a great measure, to have died independent of tedious labour, which, I conceive, acted merely as a predispos- 1 ing cause to the disease. At the same time it is obvious that the chance of recovery in an attack of typhus fever is much greater after at? easy labour than after a difficult. In private practice a similar occurrence is not likely to take place. In the 11,695 cases, exclusive of convulsions, hamiorrhage, and ruptured uterus, instruments were used forty-four times. The following tables will, at a view, shew the length of time the women were ill, and also exhibit the mortality after their use. The Table, No. III., shews the number of hours the women who were delivered with instruments, and who recover-
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