Cesarean Section 1882 – An Operation That Saves Mothers and Babies

Medical historian Jane Sewell:

"Women may fear the pain of childbirth, but they do not expect that they or their babies will die from it." 

This could not be said for many women until the end of the 19th century. Whereas a cesarean section was once an operation that almost always resulted in the death of the fetus and the mother, today it can almost always have a happy outcome.

Today, a cesarean section (CS) is a procedure in which a baby is delivered through an incision, usually horizontal, in the pregnant woman's abdominal and uterine walls. It is generally performed when the mother's or baby's life is at risk. 

The name is thought to come from a legend about an ancestor of Roman emperor Julius Caesar who was born through this type of surgery. 

In the past, emergency cesarean sections were often performed to save the mother's life even though surgical techniques had not advanced sufficiently. Surgeons lacked skills such as treating the incision site without causing infection.

• The first recorded account of a woman surviving a cesarean section is the operation that Jakob Nufer, a pig castrator in Switzerland, is said to have performed on his wife in 1500. 
• In 1794, Dr. Jesse Bennett performed the first successful cesarean section in the United States when he operated successfully on his wife.

Finally, German obstetrician Max Sänger, known as the father of the modern cesarean section, developed a special suturing system using silver wires that caused minimal skin reaction and had low infection rates. Suturing the uterus revolutionized cesarean practice and saved countless women's lives.

Today, cesarean sections are commonly recommended to prevent pregnancy complications such as: 

• Severe preeclampsia (including high blood pressure during pregnancy) 
• Multiple births
• Diabetes
• Maternal HIV infection
• Placenta previa (the placenta covering part of the cervix) 
• Very narrow birth canal

Historical Figures Mentioned in This Article: Max Sänger (1853–1903)

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