Anaesthetic midwifery : report on its early history and progress / By J.Y. Simpson.

  • Simpson, James Young, 1811-1870.
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Anaesthetic midwifery : report on its early history and progress / By J.Y. Simpson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    APPENDIX. DISCUSSION ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF CHLOROFORM IN MID- WIFERY AND SURGERY, BEFORE THE MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. [^Abridged from Monthly Journal of Medical Science for July 1848, p. 54.] Dr Simpson gave a long Repoi-t and detailed communication on the employment of chloroform in midwifery, stating that he had used it constantly, and with the best results, in his own practice since No- vember ; mentioning the rules required to be attended to in its ex- hibition ; answering the supposed objections to its use, &c. &c. He read numerous communications and reports regarding its employ- ment, from various practitioners, showing that a great number of persons had been already successfidly deUvered without pain or suf- fering under the use of chloroform during the last six months. Drs Moir, Malcolm, Keith, Carmichael, &c., stated to the Society, some verbally, and others in writing, the uniform and successful re- sults which they had met with, employing it, as they did, constantly in their practice, and in all cases of labour. Mr Ciisp of London stated, that though a stranger, he was indu - ed to rise were it for no other purpose than to say, that, after having attended the meetings of many a medical society, he had never till to-night seen one that was tmanimous in opinion on any topic. He had come to Edinburgh a fortnight ago, and now entertained a total- ly different opinion about chloroform from what he did when he ar- rived ; for he had now seen it constantly and most successfully em- ployed in the hospital and elsewhere. At the same time, although this had been the result of additional experience on his own muad, he was not disposed to blame, but, on the contrary, to commend the scepticism which had been shown by many most eminent men in London and elsewhere, on this subject, which he thought was no more than justified in relation to an agent of such a novel kind, and so important in its practical application. He believed that this seep-