On the Management of Labour in Contracted Pelvis, an Inaug. Thesis, Tr. [By the Author].

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1867 Excerpt: ... the fingers of the other in the child's mouth, there is a far greater probability of bringing it forth than when the large end comes first, and that without any probability of assisting the mother's efforts but by the destruction of the child/ Some writers have been at much pains to make out the exact limits of pelvic capacity within which the operation should be restricted. I confess I do not see much utility in this, for the very obvious reasons that the size of the child is liable to considerable variation, even at the full time, and also because the exact capacity of the pelvis cannot be determined with precision during life. Dr. M'Clintock furnishes the particulars of 17 cases in a table which I reproduce (vide Table III.) Of the 17 children 9 survived birth. The foetal heart continued to pulsate for a period varying from 15 to 20 minutes after delivery in 5 of the children recorded as dead-born in the Table. Of the 9 children born alive, 4 were boys and 5 were girls; whilst of those dead-born the numbers were reversed, 5 being boys and 3 girls. The influence of sex upon the result of labour, quoad the foetus, is thus well illustrated. But a more striking exemplification is to be found in the general result of all the births which the 12 women had. The total number of mature children born to them was 64, viz., 27 boys and 37 girls. Of the boys, 21 were born dead, which is a proportion of 78 per cent, upon all the male births; whilst of the girls only 16 were dead-born, being in the proportion of 43 per cent, of all the female births. In every instance where turning was performed, before determining upon the operation, the child was ascertained by auscultation to be alive. What now, it may be asked, is the practical value of this measure, and wha...