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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    undelivered. The earliest case of this kind is one related by Mauriceau in his Observation xxvi.; which is remarkable as being that given to Chamberlan as a test to prove the supe- riority of his newly invented forceps. Mauriceau had a tri- umph, because Cliamberlan could not succeed, and heads his Observation, “ D’une femme qui mourut avec son enfant dans le ventre, qui n’en put jamais etre tire par un Medecin An- glais qui avoit entrepris de I’accoucher;” but the case was of that character that Mauriceau could not introduce his hand, although a small one, to apply the crotchet, the contraction of the pelvis was so great. The woman died undelivered; the uterus was ruptured, and Mauriceau attributed this to Chamber- lan’s forceps having been forced through the womb. It is scarcely necessary to say that Chamberlan could not get his forceps into a space where Mauriceau could with the greatest difficulty introduce two fingers of a very small hand^. Mauriceau re- fused to perform the Caesarean section, as being certainly fatal to the mother; she was, therefore, suffei-ed to die undelivered. Dr. Hamilton, in the fourth edition of his “ Outlines of Midwifery,” gives the case of Mrs. Scott, aged 30, with whom labour began March 22, 1795, and continued to April 2, eleven days I when she died of ruptured uterus. She could not be delivered by instruments. Dr. Hull, in his remarks on this case, states:—“I have the honour to be acquainted with an accoucheur of very great eminence, who, in the course of a long and extensive practice, had been called to five women in labour, whose pelves were so exceedingly distorted that he found it impossible to deliver them by embryulcia, although ® J’ai vu une petite femme agee de 38 ans., qui etoit en travail de son premier enfant depuis huitjours^ ses eaux s’etant ecoulees des le premier jour qu’elle avoit commence a se trouver mal, sans presque aucune dilatation de la matrice. Etant restee en cette etat jusques au quatrieme jour, je fus mande pour en dire mon senti- ment asaSagefemme Neanmoins pour tout cela [his directions] elle ne put jamais accoucheur et son enfant qui venoit la tete devant, mais la face en dessus resta toujours au memelieu, sans pouvoir avancer au passage, que cette femme, qui etoit tres-petite, avoit tellement etroit, et les os qui le forment si serres et proches Fun de Fautre, et Fos de croupion si recourbe en dedans, quil me fut entierement impossi- ble cVy introduire ma main pour Vaccoucher^ quoi que je Vaye assez petite^ lorsque je fus mande pour lui donner ce secours, trois jours ensuite de la premiere fois que je Favois vue; de sorte qu’y ayant tache inutilement il ne me fut pas possible d’en venir a bout, ne pouvant introduire ma main qu’avec un extrhue effort^ a cause de Fetroitessedn passage d’entre les os, et Fayant introduite elle se trouvoit si serree^ qu’il, m’etoit impossible d’en remuer seulement les doigts, et de la faire avancer assez pour pouvoir conduire un crochet avec surete, afin d’eii tirer cet enfant qui etoit mort de- puis pres de quatre jours, suivant Fapparence; ce qu’ayant essaye je declarai Fim- possibilite d’accoucheur cette femme a tous les assistans, qui en etant bien persuadcz, me prierent de lui tirer son enfant du ventre par Fopei-ation Cesarienne, laquelle je ne voulus pas entreprendre, s^achant bien qu'dle est toujours tres certainement mortelle a la mere, — Mauriceau,, vol. ii., p. 23.