DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
Gil 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
By L. A. and E. Merillat, 
of the McKillip Veterinary College , Ch icago , III. 
abdominal SURGERY ( Continued ). 
II. Cesarian Section. —The removal of the foetus by 
making an incision into the abdominal wall of the mother, was 
first performed upon human subjects after the death of the 
mother for the purpose of saving the life of the foetus ; and 
later the operation was performed upon the mother while still 
alive for the same purpose ; recently, however, as the methods 
of operating improved, the procedure became an approved 
method of saving the life of both mother and child. The Greeks 
were familiar with this method of removing the foetus from the 
womb while the mother was still alive ( HeisteCs System of 
Surgery, Vol. II.). The earliest case reported with any details 
of the operation was performed in the latter part of the fifteenth 
century, by a spayer of Seigerheusen, who operated upon his 
wife after a number of midwives had exhausted their resources ; 
the spayer extracted the child by making an incision into the 
abdomen and saved the life of the mother and child. A full 
account of the case is found in the appendix to Roussetus’s 
works, which was written by Caspar Bauhin some time dur¬ 
ing the 16th century. The operation in early years was gen¬ 
erally performed by midwives ; and, in the absence of modern 
surgical methods, naturally proved unsuccessful, which caused 
surgeons who were familiar with the sequelae following surgical 
operations under such conditions and knew their inability to 
obviate them, to disapprove the operation ; but, since the sur¬ 
geon has adopted asepsis, and learned to combat the unfavor¬ 
able sequelae, the operation has resumed its place among the 
practical ones. 
Indication for Caesarian section may be satisfactorily enum¬ 
erated as follows, viz. : 
1. Pelvic malformations. 
2 . Malpresentations. 
3. Multiparity. 
4. Monstrosities. 
5. Pseudo-pregnancy. 
6. Extra-uterine pregnancy. 
7. Rupture of the uterus. 
8. Torsion of the uterus. 
