The accoucheur, a treatise on protracted natural labours; suspended animation in new born infants; and uterine haemorrhage after the birth of the child. With illustrative cases / [John Craig].

  • Craig, John
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The accoucheur, a treatise on protracted natural labours; suspended animation in new born infants; and uterine haemorrhage after the birth of the child. With illustrative cases / [John Craig]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    though these defects may be found to run throughout the fob lowing observations, it is hoped they have at least to re- commend them, their truth, honesty, and usefulness. Being conscious that the absence of beauty of style is not inconsistent with the display of professional skill, when we contemplated the publication of this work, we felt persuaded that a confession of the want of the former would not deprive us of a claim to the possession of the latter 5 but farther re- flection has convinced us, that when any innovation on long- established practice, and deep-rooted prejudices is attempted, no apology the author can plead will, at times, secure the candour of the professional reader, and prevent the merits of the practitioner from being visited with the blame that is only due to the deficiencies of the writer. Jn self-defence we might therefore have felt ourselves justified in at present veil- ing our name in the method so widely practised by the literary world. The following will show how little confidence can be placed in professional men, as well as others, even when the disco- very is of paramount importance. That learned and elegant writer, Dr Southwood Smith, in his useful work, entitled Philosophy of Health, chapter, “ Cir- culation of the Blood,” states, 44 Contemporaries are seldom grateful to discoverers. More than one instance is on record, in which a man has injured his fortune, and lost his happiness through the elucidation and establishment of a truth which has given him immortality. It may be that there are physical truths yet to be brought to light, to say nothing of new ap- plications of old truths, which, if they could be announced and demonstrated to-day, would be the ruin of the discoverer. It is certain that there are moral truths to be discovered, expounded, and enforced, which, if any man had now pene- tration enough to see them, and courage enough to ex-