Handbook of midwifery for midwives : from the official handbook of midwifery for Prussian midwives, published by direction of the Minister for Spiritual, Educational, and Medical Affairs / by J.E. Burton.

  • Prussia.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Handbook of midwifery for midwives : from the official handbook of midwifery for Prussian midwives, published by direction of the Minister for Spiritual, Educational, and Medical Affairs / by J.E. Burton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    98/332 (page 78)
    well to oil, not only the examining finger, but the whole hand, previously, as she will then be certain that careful washing will completely remove the harmful liquids from every spot that can have touched them. She must be not less.careful in washing and cleansing herself when she has visited persons suffering from infectious diseases, such as child-bed fever, ery- sipelas, small-pox, etc. She must then change her clothes before venturing to go to a woman in labour or lying-in. [The danger of a midwife conveying the disease from an infectious case to a woman in labour is so great that many authorities are of opinion that no person should undertake a fresh case of midwifery whilst attending one that is infectious. At any rate, the utmost care and watchfulness are called for. We would recommend that after examining or in any way touching a patient suspected of suffering from any disease capable of being conveyed to another, the midwife shall wash and brush her hands thoroughly in plenty of clean water with soap—running water from a tap if possible—and afterwards rinse them well in more clean water, to which a few spoon- fuls of Condy’s Fluid have been added. The brush, but no soap, should be used for the Condy and water, as the soap would render the disinfectant inert.] §98. If the midwife comes to a woman in labour shortly after its commencement, whilst the pains are still weak, and before the waters have escaped, she must make use of the examination as an opportunity of getting infor- mation concerning the points shortly to be mentioned. If, however, the pains be already strong, and if they become of a bearing-down character, or if the waters have already escaped, she must immediately make an examination to inform herself as to the stage of labour, and, above o-ll, as to the position of the