A letter to William Smellie, M.D., containing critical and practical remarks upon his Treatise on the theory and practice of midwifery / By John Burton, M.D. Wherein the various gross mistakes and dangerous methods of practice mentioned and recommended by that writer, are fully demonstrated. And generally corrected.

  • Burton, John, 1710-1771.
Date:
MDCCLIII. [1753]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to William Smellie, M.D., containing critical and practical remarks upon his Treatise on the theory and practice of midwifery / By John Burton, M.D. Wherein the various gross mistakes and dangerous methods of practice mentioned and recommended by that writer, are fully demonstrated. And generally corrected. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ^ might be of the worft Confequence, v/hile this naked ‘ Inftrument is within the Vagina, or Womb.* The fecond danger may arife from the Points of the ScilTars flipping from off the Bones in attempting to bore through the Cranium; and this may eafily hap¬ pen, even fuppofing the Head to be fixed, as is evident to any Perfon who will confider that t-.e Skull is in part convex, whereby the lead Motion of the Woman may occafion the Points of the Sciffars to flip ; or if the Operator fhould vary his Hand that holds the Sciffars in an oblique manner, the Points would again flip: But if the Head moves fideways in fuch a manner as that the Sdjfars cannot he puJJoed into the Skull at the Suture \ the Danger, in this Cafe, will be increafed, becaufe the Bones are harder and tougher, as I obferved above, than the Integuments betwixt the Sutures. Thirdly, Dangers alfo arife from the opening and fhutting of the Scifluirs, while they are in part or chiefly within the Woman. In one Place you fay, ih) ^ in lingering Labour, when ‘ the whole Hand is within the Vasfina, it will fome- ‘ times be found neceffary to infinuate the Fingers with * the Flat of the Hand between the Head and Os In- ‘ ternum ; for when this Precaution is not taken in ‘ time, the Os Uteri is frequently pufhed before the ‘ Head (efpecially that Part of it next the Os Pubis) ‘ even through the Os Externum.* And I mull add, that a large Hand will not pafs this Orifice fo eaflly as a fmaller; and that the more oblique the Uterus is, the more will thcfe Parts be liable to be protruded, as happened in the Cafe above-mentioned, Sedt. 4. when one Side of the Vagina will alfo hang like a Bag betwixt the Os Externum and Internum ; which you alfo ac¬ knowledged by the Diredbions you give in another Place (r): For you fay, ‘ When the Head is high, the * Forceps may be locked in the Middle of the Pelvis; ‘ but, in that Cafe, great Care^ 7?iuft be taken in feeling [h] P. 223. [c) P. 258. •with M