Anomalies and Curiosities of MedicineGould, George M. (George Milbrey)
Science
Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine
Gould, George M. (George Milbrey)
Abnormalities, Human; Medicine -- Anecdotes
Instances of repeated Cesarean section were quite numerous, and the
pride of the operators noteworthy, before the uterus was removed at the
first operation, as is now generally done. Bacque reports two sections
in the same woman, and Bertrandi speaks of a case in which the
operation was successfully executed many times in the same woman.
Rosenberg reports three cases repeated successfully by Leopold of
Dresden. Skutsch reports a case in which it was twice performed on a
woman with a rachitic pelvis, and who the second time was pregnant with
twins; the children and mother recovered. Zweifel cites an instance in
which two Cesarean sections were performed on a patient, both of the
children delivered being in vigorous health. Stolz relates a similar
case. Beck gives an account of a Cesarean operation twice on the same
woman; in the first the child perished, but in the second it survived.
Merinar cites an instance of a woman thrice opened. Parravini gives a
similar instance. Charlton gives an account of the performance carried
out successfully four times in the same woman; Chisholm mentions a case
in which it was twice performed. Michaelis of Kiel gives an instance
in which he performed the same operation on a woman four times, with
successful issues to both mother and children, despite the presence of
peritonitis the last time. He had operated in 1826, 1830, 1832, and
1836. Coe and Gueniot both mention cases in which Cesarean section had
been twice performed with successful terminations as regards both
mothers and children. Rosenberg tabulates a number of similar cases
from medical literature.
Cases of Cesarean section by the patient herself are most curious, but
may be readily believed if there is any truth in the reports of the
operation being done in savage tribes. Felkin gives an account of a
successful case performed in his presence, with preservation of the
lives of both mother and child, by a native African in Kahura, Uganda
Country. The young girl was operated on in the crudest manner, the
hemorrhage being checked by a hot iron. The sutures were made by means
of seven thin, hot iron spikes, resembling acupressure-needles, closing
the peritoneum and skin. The wound healed in eleven days, and the
mother made a complete recovery. Thomas Cowley describes the case of a
negro woman who, being unable to bear the pains of labor any longer,
took a sharp knife and made a deep incision in her belly--deep enough
to wound the buttocks of her child, and extracted the child, placenta
and all. A negro horse-doctor was called, who sewed the wound up in a
manner similar to the way dead bodies are closed at the present time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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