The Caesarean section. / by Edward William Murphy.

  • Murphy, Edward William.
Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Caesarean section. / by Edward William Murphy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    Collins, E. Kennedy, and Johnston, late Masters of the Hospi- tal, together with Sir Philip Crampton, the Consulting Sur- geon.” Dr. Shekleton’s opinion was overruled; and, feeling the great responsibility that would attach to him individually if he acted in accordance with his own views of the case in opposition to the judgment of such sound and experienced practitioners, and failed in an operation which they deemed ineligible, Dr. Shekleton at once determined on yielding to their decision, and undertook the task of carrying it into effect. The perforator was introduced, the cranium broken up, and as much as possible of the brain removed by the crot- chet. “ 5 o’clock P.M. having arrived, it was agreed to adjourn to 7 o’clock. On examination then. Dr. Shekleton found, to his surprise and regret, that the left arm of the child had fallen into the narrow space in the vagina, and no effort of his could return it, nor could a finger be passed up the side of it to de- termine the position of the head The crotchet was fixed in the axilla, and such traction employed that at length the arm gave way, bringing with it the scapula of that side. By degrees the whole of the thoracic viscera, the ribs, and con- tents of the abdomen, were torn away, and, finally, the spine was, unintentionally, divided in the middle, and many of the vertebrae were separated. After various attempts and failures, two crotchets were at length fairly fixed in th e foetal pelvis, and, by the united alternate efforts of Dr. Shekleton and his friends, he at length succeeded in dragging the lower extremities through the os externum, and with them the right arm, at- tached by a strip of integument and torn muscles. In this stage of the operation the funis got entangled in the crotchet, and the placenta came away with it, but no hemorrhage ensued.” Dr. Shekleton observes:'—“ A most perplexing and difficult operation at all times, but rnore especially so in the present instance, still remained to be performed, namely, the extrac- tion of the child’s head. In despair of finding any means to fix it at the brim, I [Dr. Shekleton] introduced my finger into the vagina, and there, to my surprise and satisfaction, found the stump of the dorsal vertebrie, with small portions of the ribs attached, which I instantly secured, and firmly held until the crotchet was fixed in the back of the ear externally, and the head extracted with extreme difficulty, and much flattened. Thus ended the mechanical efforts by which the delivery was at length effected, which occupied upwards of three hours at our last sitting, and which exhausted the strength and de- pressed the spirits of myself and friends on the occasion. . . .