The induction of premature labour / Clement Godson.

  • Godson, Clement, 1845-1913.
Date:
[1875]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The induction of premature labour / Clement Godson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    which have been deemed necessary for its performance; and secondly, the different methods which have been adopted. The reasons— 1. When the bony pelvis is too narrow to allow a child at full time to pass without its life being sacrificed. 2. When dangerous affections exist in the mother, such as disease of the heart, ascites, &c., seriously aggravated by pregnancy. 3. Severe symptoms arising from the pregnant state, such as intractable vomiting, jaundice, albuminuria, chorea, mania, &c. 4. When a mother habitually gives birth to children so abnor¬ mally large that their lives are sacrificed during delivery, or when several hydrocephalic infants successively occur. 5. When repeatedly the infant has been found to die in the latter months, from disease of the placenta, or other recognised cause. 6. In cases of tumours impeding the passage, such as fibrous tumours of the uterus, exostosis, &c. 7. When sudden haemorrhage has occurred, and there is reason to believe that the placenta wholly or partially presents. 8. Tn cases of dropsy of the amnion, and ovarian tumours, pro¬ ductive of great distress to the mother. 1. The first requires no reasoning; it is so well known that a foetal head, from the seventh to the eighth month of development, is not only of considerably less dimensions than at the full term, but that it is so much more flexible, and capable of being moulded to the passage. And yet, even a seven-months’ child may grow into a fine, strong, intellectual man. Of this we have numerous examples. The generally-accepted degree of deformity, necessi¬ tating the employment of premature induction, is when the con¬ jugate diameter measures from 2J to 3J inches. If only 21- inches, the operation should be undertaken at the seventh month ; if 2§ inches, at seven and a half months; if 3 inches, at the eighth month. It will be well to reckon as the seventh month 220 days from the last day of menstruation, 235 days as seven and a half months, and 250 days as the eighth month. 2. Whenever a disease known to exist in the mother is so aggra¬ vated by the pregnant state as to place her life in jeopardy, there can be no hesitation in relieving her of that which is the imme¬ diate cause of danger. 3. So with intractable vomiting, chorea, and other severe com¬ plications arising from pregnancy, it may be necessary to evacuate the uterus, in order to get rid of the cause of irritation. 4. Instances have occurred in which a succession of infants have been born so abnormally large, that it has been necessary to have repeated recourse to craniotomy. In such cases it may be justifiable