What a Blessing She Had Chloroform

Historically and currently, there are few aspects of health so contentious, so surrounded by emotion, as the management of childbirth in general, and of obstetric anesthesia in particular. Donald Caton, an obstetric anesthesiologist, has been well aware of this when writing his excellent account of the subject from 1800 to the present. The story of obstetric anesthesia includes many well-known names and methods, such as James Young Simpson and chloroform, John Snow and Queen Victoria, the fiasco of twilight sleep, the heavy use of opium derivatives in the first half of this century, the role of such bodies as the National Birthday Trust Fund, the rejection of drugs that characterized the work of Grantley Dick Read and Fernand Lamaze, and finally, the modern methods. All have been the subject of historical publications, so at first sight Caton might seem to be simply traveling over familiar territory. But there are several features that make this a notable and valuable work

Blessing · Childbirth · Opium · Political science · Pregnancy · Queen (butterfly) · Subject (documents) · Historical Psychiatry and Medical Practices · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · History · Law · Medical History and Innovations · Medicine