Observations on the artificial dilatation of the mouth of the womb during labour, and upon instrumental delivery, &c. &c. / by Robert Collins.

Date:
[1837?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the artificial dilatation of the mouth of the womb during labour, and upon instrumental delivery, &c. &c. / by Robert Collins. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    2/34 (page 40)
    from its actual commencement.”* Again, when treating of la- borious labours, “ the author feels it incumbent upon him to de- clare, that when the uterine contractions proceed regularly with- out decided interruption, or when the infant, after the rupture of the membranes remains in close contact with the passages, the sufferings of the woman should almost never be allowed to continue longer than twenty-four hours, reckoning from the beginning of true labour throes.”f Such are Dr. Hamilton’s directions, to the support of which he has devoted a large share of two volumes, in language the most decided, and sometimes even a little dogmatical. I have, however, studied every page with the closest attention, nor can I find fact or argument to induce me to alter my decided conviction, that such measures, thus warmly urged, are not only uncalled for, as far as regards the safety of the patient, but if generally acted upon, likely to be followed by serious results, both to mother and child. What must be the consequences of instructing the junior practitioner to effect the delivery of his patient within twenty-four hours ? It appears to me to cruelly encourage the destruction of the child, where, in the great ma- jority of cases, not even a shadow of necessity could exist for such a proceeding. We may be told that such is not the case, as delivery can be effected in safety with the forceps ; this, however, where disproportion exists, as in really laborious la- bours, is mere delusion, and where there is no considerable dis- proportion the necessity for speedy delivery of the patient we have elsewhere shewn does not often occur, where the labour is not complicated.J Surely no experienced practitioner would be guided as to the safety or otherwise of his patient when in labour, by the number of hours, but by the present symptoms and previous history. Have we not the symptoms, indicating the approach of danger, as clearly and accurately marked as * See Hamilton’s Observations on Midwifery, p. 195, Part I. t See p. 42, Part II. j See Practical Treatise on Midwifery, p. 10.