A plea for obstetrics : introductory lecture to the course of midwifery, in the medical department of Pennsylvania College, for the Session of 1848-49 / by Jno. Wiltbank.

  • Wiltbank, John, 1806-1860
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A plea for obstetrics : introductory lecture to the course of midwifery, in the medical department of Pennsylvania College, for the Session of 1848-49 / by Jno. Wiltbank. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    nature, and influence to her sway. It is the glory of modern times, that woman is no longer the abject, despised being that she once was, and now is, in many parts of the earth; but exalted to a station corresponding to her high aspirations and lofty destiny. Is it then surprising, that among ignorant and barbarous nations of ancient and modern times, the obstetric art should be undervalued and despised ? How, indeed, could it be other- wise with those who have no regard for her for whose benefit it is designed! But shall the same be said of civilized, enlightened and christian nations ? Look abroad upon the different parts of the world, and you will find that where woman is esteemed, there is our art and science duly cherished. It has been well said, that America is the Paradise of woman. In no country is she more highly exalted and honored. It is unnecessary, and would be out of place, to advocate the rights of woman here. Her very weakness and sense of dependence are acknowledged to give her a just claim to our regard; and especially in parturition—the period of anxiety, of suffering and of danger—she is pre-eminently enti- tled to our sympathy, our protection, our assistance, and to all the advantages to be derived from science and from art. The question then recurs : Why is obstetrics undervalued ? In some cases it is unquestionably to be ascribed to a want of appreciation of the benefits it is capable of conferring. Too many physicians look upon it as a mere art, requiring of the practitioner a very limited share of tact and skill. They know that parturition is a healthy function, which is accomplished with entire safety, in the great majority of cases, by the unaided powers of nature. They have, probably, witnessed numerous cases that needed no assistance, and hence conclude that arti- ficial aid is never necessary. They think that too much mid- wifery is taught; it leads, they argue, to officious interference, and thus creates the very evils we deplore ; they imagine that if the process were more commonly left to nature we should hear less of difficulties and dangers; and, in proof of their posi- tion, they confidently refer to the accounts given us by travelers of the facility and safety with which labors are ordinarily conducted by midwives among barbarous and savage nations. Such arguments are plausible, and probably have had much influence in retarding the advance of the science; but they will not bear investigation. Obstetrics is, it is true, an art; but it is a difficult art—an art founded upon science—having its abstract principles which must be understood and applied—an art calling into requisition an assemblage of the finest of our intellectual and moral faculties; demanding a delicate and