Vol 6, No 11 (1892)

One of the burning issues of the day in modern obstetrics is the issue of the prevention of postpartum diseases, giving a clinical complex of symptoms, known as childbirth fever. This disease everywhere carries away a mass of victims to the grave, and, moreover, in the most flourishing period of life, especially here in Russia, where rational medical care does not exist everywhere. Therefore, I think it is not superfluous to touch on this topic and report the data that I was able to derive while observing the rich material of the Leopold clinic, where I am a Volontairarzt’om. Doctor Jacob Rosenblatt.

39 members were present: Batsevich, Vasten, Hermonius, Danilovich, Dobradin, Dranitsyn, Zheltukhin, Zabolotskiy, Zamshin, Zmigrodskiy, Lichkus, Lopatinskiy, Mazurkevich, Massen, Mersh, Neishtube, Ott, Petrovich, Porshnyakov, Rachinskiy, Rodzevich, Ruzi, Rutkovskiy, Savchenko, Sadovskiy, Salmanov, Stelmakovich, Stravinskiy, Ulrikh, Fisher A.R., Fratkin, Chagin, Shverdlov, Shtol, Stolz, Shurinov, Shuttenbach, Eichfus, Yanpolsky and 11 guests.

Berry Hart (Edinburgh), speaker. - Usually at the beginning of labor, and often even before the onset of any signs of labor, the most severe blood loss is observed in cases of placenta previa, and this circumstance mostly coincides with one of the usual periods of menstruation. The cervix, due to the proximity of the attachment of the placenta, is always very vascular, and sometimes extremely tense. Any attempt to pass the hand through the cervix at this time, with the aim of separating the placenta completely or removing the baby, can only be made at the risk of rupture or injury to the uterus. Extraction of the fetus through the cervix, even in cases where there is no need to penetrate the uterus by hand, is a process associated with insignificant chances for the child and with great danger for the mother: hence the indication is to act without violence and haste.

Is it worth it, apparently, to talk a lot about such a modest in its purpose a book like this? Indeed, there are few such popular books on various fields of medicine and hygiene, and such books that should not be opened: before that, in most cases, they are poorly, ineptly, to such an extent, in their publication, counting on the pocket of consumers is visible. It is all the more pleasant, without a doubt, to meet everything that bears the stamp of originality or a consciousness of the real benefits that should result from such books for readers. The “leader” of Mr. Artemyev, despite the modesty of the purpose for which it is intended, and the obvious narrowness, specialty of its content, this is exactly the book: it is also original, in the sense of some innovations in the author's views on the subject of his specialty (he obstetrician) and the tasks of such books, which is the present, and, indeed, pursues specific, practical goals, will really benefit its readers.