Dr. Conquest's outlines of midwifery : intended as a text-book for students, and a book of reference for junior practitioners.

  • Conquest, Dr.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. Conquest's outlines of midwifery : intended as a text-book for students, and a book of reference for junior practitioners. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    331/370 (page 317)
    Nothing can be more criminal than the conduct of some persons, who permit what are termed still-horn children to be laid aside as dead, without making any efforts to ascertain whether the vital principle be ex- tinct, or whether animation be merely suspended. Several very interesting and well-autlienticated in- stances are recorded of infants born apparently dead, who, by persevering exertions, have been resusci- tated, although for nearly two hours after birth the evidences of vitality were so indistinct as to leave it doubtful whether or not they existed. Nothing less than sensible proof of absolute death should be deemed a justification of abandonment of a still-born child : and if these evidences of its death be wanting, all the usual methods of restoring suspended animation should be had recourse to, and persevered in for at least half an hour; for, even should there be no prospect of success, the attempt is always pleasing to the parents of the infant, and satisfactory to a feel- ing mind. Whenever, then, a child is still-born from compres- sion of the funis, from long-continued pressure of the cranium; from labour, protracted by a small or dis- torted pelvis; from feebleness; or any other cause, by the insertion of a curved silver tube into the trachea (without which no medical man should ever go to a labour) respiration should be imitated by alternately inflating the lungs, and expelling the air by pressure on the abdomen and thorax. In addition to this, friction about the region of tlie heart, the soles of the feet, and nostrils must be employed,