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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    [23] Antients had found the Child’s Life in Danger^ while the Paflage through the Umbilical Chord was open, and permitted the Blood to pafs to the Pla¬ centa. But you fay {m)^ the Air does not immediately ‘ rufh into the Lungs, and the Circulation continues be- ® tween it (the Child) and the Placenta, the Operation * of tying and cutting muft be delayed ; and every * Thing tried to ftimnlate, and fometimes to give ‘ Pain. If the Circulation is languid, Refpiration be- ‘ gins with Dlfliculty, and proceeds with long Intervals 5 * and if it be intirely Hopped in the Funis, the Child, ‘ if alive, is net eafily recovered. Sometimes a great ‘ many Minutes are elapfed before it begins to breathe. ‘ Whatever augments the circulating Force, promotes * Refpiration ; and as this increafes, the Circulation * grows ftronger, fo that they mutually alTift each other. *■ In order to promote the one and the other, the Child ‘is kept warm, moved, fhaken, whipt 5 the Head, ‘ Temples and Bread rubbed with Spirits, Garlic, O- ‘ nion, or Muftard, applied to the Mouth and Nofe ; ‘ and the Child has been fometimes recovered by blow- ‘ ing into the Mouth with a Silver Canula, fo as to ex- ‘ pand the Lungs.’ Your firft Direction is, ‘ If the Air does not imme- ‘ diately rufh into the Lungs, and the Circulation con- ‘ tinues between it and the Placenta, the Operation of ‘ tying and cutting (the Chord) muft be delayed, and ‘ every Thing tried to ftimulate, and fometimes to give ‘ Pain ’ Here you have contradicted what kia^ and Mercatus, have directed, without any Rea- fon afftgned *, and I muft likewife remark, that as the Authors above-mentioned were Strangers to the Laws and Manner of the Circulation of the Blood, they were not fo capable of giving a Reafon for v/hat had been found, by repeated Obfervation, to be the moft faiutary Practice j which, fmee the Improvements made in Ana- C 4 {f;i) Page 225. tomy.