O. W. HOLMES 



tended a lady who had the symptoms of the disease on the 

 second day. In another instance a surgeon was called while 

 in the act of inspecting the body of a woman who had died 

 of this fever, to attend a labor; within forty-eight hours 

 this patient was seized with the fever. 8 * 



On the i6th of March, 1831, a medical practitioner exam- 

 ined the body of a woman who had died a few days after 

 delivery, from puerperal peritonitis. On the evening of the 

 I7th he delivered a patient, who was seized with puerperal 

 fever on the ipth, and died on the 24th. Between this period 

 and the 6th of April the same practitioner attended two 

 other patients, both of whom were attacked with the same 

 disease and died.* 4 



In the autumn of 1829 a physician was present at the ex- 

 amination of a case of puerperal fever, dissected out the 

 organs, and assisted in sewing up the body. He had scarcely 

 reached home when he was summoned to attend a young 

 lady in labor. In sixteen hours she was attacked with the 

 symptoms of puerperal fever, and narrowly escaped with 

 her life* 



In December, 1830, a midwife, who had attended two fatal 

 cases of puerperal fever at the British Lying-in Hospital, 

 examined a patient who had just been admitted, to ascertain 

 if labor had commenced. This patient remained two days in 

 the expectation that labor would come on, when she returned 

 home and was then suddenly taken in labor and delivered 

 before she could set out for the hospital. She went on favor- 

 ably for two days, and was then taken with puerperal fever 

 and died in thirty-six hours.* 8 



"A young practitioner, contrary to advice, examined the 

 body of a patient who had died from puerperal fever; there 

 was no epidemic at the time ; the case appeared to be purely 

 sporadic. He delivered three other women shortly after- 

 wards; they all died with puerperal fever, the symptoms of 

 which broke out very soon after labor. The patients of his 

 colleague did well, except one, where he assisted to remove 

 some coagula from the uterus ; she was attacked in the same 

 manner as those whom he had attended, and died also." The 



**Ibid. for January, 1832. 



34 London Cyc. of Pract. Med., art., " Fever, Puerperal." 





