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.

    196/274 (page 180)
    ( i8a ) fecondly, if they do not llifFiciently break the Strudluye of the Brain, the Crotchet is to be ufed : And, thirdly, you advife the Ufe of the blunt Hook to extradt the Head all which will be eafier, fafer, and more expe- ditioufly performed by my Extradlor alone, as I have already proved, to the Satisfaclion of eyery Perfon, zvhofe Ideas of tbefe Ihings are not imperfect and con- fiifcd. Sedf. 30. In your next Chapter you treat of what you call 'pr eternal nr al Labour Sj in defining of which you endeavour to make your Readers believe, that your Definition Vv^ill emharrafs and confound young Be¬ ginners lefs than that of others ; But I litre-in differ from your Opinion. You £iy, {a) ‘ when the Forehead is hindered from ‘ coming down into the Icv/er Part of the Sacrum, by ‘ an uncommon Shape of the Head or Pelvis, (when ^ the Feet come firft) and we can’t txrrad: it by bringing ‘ it out with a half-round Turn at the Pubis, we muft ‘ try to make this turn in a contrary Direction ; and infiead of introducing our Fingers into the Child’s ‘ Mouth, let the Bread of it reft cn the Palm of your ‘ Left-hand (the Woman being on her Back) and ‘ placing the Right on its Shoulciers, with the Fingers ‘ on each Side of the Neck, prefs it downv/ards to ‘ the Perinmum. In ccnfequence of this PrefTurc, the ‘ Face and Chin being within the Perinseam, will ‘ move more upw^ards, and the Head come out with ‘ a half round Turn from below the Os Pubis : For ^ tile Center of Motion is now where the Fore-part of ‘ the Neck prefies at the Perinmum ; whereas in the * other Method, the Back-part of the Neck is againft ‘ the lower Part of the Pubes on which the Head ‘ turns. ‘ If the Forehead is not turned to one Side, but ‘ flicks at the upper Part of the Sacrum, especially ‘ when the Pelvis is narrow, let the Operator endea- [a] P. 317. veur