68 P A T H O 
yearly, (19s.) for the houfe-clinic a ducat, (10s. 6d.) for a 
prixalijfimum eighty paper guldens, and for each operation 
upon the living fubjedt four ducats. For Dr. Rofa’s 
privatijfinmm, twenty-five paper guldens. For each head 
for operations, one paper gulden. 
The Gebaerhaus, or Lying-in Hofpital, was eftablifhed 
by the emperor Jofeph II. in the year 1784, partly with 
the view of preventing child-murder. In the courfe of 
the firlt year after it was opened, 748 children were born 
in this hofpital. It forms part of the General Hofpital, 
and is under the fame management; but is feparated in 
fonie meafure from the other buddings of the hofpital by 
a fmall court. 
This eftablifhment is divided into two fedtions. The 
one is for thofe women who pay; to the other admiflion 
is gratuitous. The former is committed to the fuper- 
intendance of Dr. Pelan, and is not open to ftudents ; 
the latter conftitutes the Clinical School of Midwifery, 
and is under the care of profeffor Boer. 
The Private Lying-in Hofpital confifts of two di'vifions. 
The one contains twelve rooms on the ground floor, 
which are fet apart for fecret deliveries, and the greater 
number of which are occupied each by a Angle patient. 
The other divifion contains fix rooms, each of from four 
to fix beds. In the firlt divifion, if the room is not oc¬ 
cupied for a complete day, fix paper guldens are paid. 
If the perfon continues longer, flie pays daily a gulden 
and a half; for which flie has board, lodging, medical 
attendance, nurfing, and the baptifm of her child. If 
{he gives over her child to the foundling-houfe, fire pays 
forty guldens. Befides the accoucheur, midwife, and 
nurfe, no perfon is allowed to enter her room. In the 
fecond divifion, there are indeed feveral beds in each 
apartment, yet there is fuch an arrangement, that thofe 
who have been are feparated from thofe who are to be de¬ 
livered. A perfon who does not remain in this divifion 
during an entire day, pays four guldens and a half. If 
fire remains longer, (lie pays daily half a gulden. Alfo 
here, none but the neceflary attendants are admitted. 
If a woman of this divifion would give her child into the 
foundling-houfe, flie pays twenty guldens. 
This {'edition of the lying-in hofpital was intended by 
the imperial patriot as an afylum for thofe who might 
with to conceal their pregnancy; and here thofe indivi¬ 
duals find that they are fafe from difcovery. Even the 
tribunals are obliged, if it be brought as a corroborative 
ground of accufation againft a woman that (lie had refided 
in the lying-in hofpital, to rejedl the evidence to that 
eftett as not valid. On entering the hofpital, the woman 
is not required to tell her real name or condition, much 
lefs to declare who is the father of her child. She is re¬ 
quired merely to bring along with her a fealed letter 
containing her real name, that in cafe of her death infor¬ 
mation may be communicated to her relations. Asfoon 
a$ the number of her room and bed is written upon the 
letter, it is returned into her own keeping. She can 
enter the hofpital and leave it in difguife, or even 
nialked ; and indeed continue fo during her whole reli- 
xience, if flie choofe it. If (he bring a nurfe along with 
her, flie need not expofe herfelf even to the nurfes of the 
hofpital. She can leave the hofpital immediately after 
her child is born, or remain for fome time. She can 
leave her child, or remove it. Many make ufe of this 
inftitution only during labour, leave it fome hours after 
their delivery, and give up their child to the foundling- 
houfe. 
The rooms of this fedtion are neither fo fpacious nor 
fo clean as thofe belonging to the fedtion for the poor, 
but are more crowded. Notwithllanding, they contain 
fewer lick in proportion to the number they accommodate, 
and fewer die in thisfediion. This mult be attributed 
in fome meafure to the greater degree of warmth, and to 
the avoidance of draughts of air in fmall rooms; in 
which particulars tliefe are much preferable to fpacious 
and airy wards, efpecially for lying-in women. The 
average number of births in this fedtion of the lying-in 
LOGY. 
hofpital, has been for fome years pall from 800 to ioocr 
annually, being about a third fewer than in the clinical 
fchool. We fufpedt that in a confiderable proportion 
of thefe births, the children are illegitimate. In the 
tw'enty-four hours, there are on an average from two to 
three births. Three midwives afiift at the labours, and 
the accoucheur is called in only in difficult .cafes. 
The Obftetrical Clinic.-—The chair of clinical midwifery 
is filled by profefior Lucas John Boer. The fedtion of 
the lying-in hofpital, containing all thofe women who 
are admitted gratuitoufly, along with almoft all thofe 
who enter on the loweft rate of twopence halfpenny 
daily, is committed to his care. Every woman admitted 
gratuitoufly muft afiift in the houfehold work of the hof¬ 
pital, and afterwards ferve for a certain time as nurfe in 
the foundling-hofpital. The number of births in this 
fedtion is 1200 annually. The proportion of unmarried 
women delivered, is to that of the whole number deli¬ 
vered, as 47 to 50. 
This fedlion of the lying-in hofpital is frequently ftyled 
the Sc/tola Objletricia ; and it is here alone that ftudents 
are admitted to the practical ftudy of midwifery. Indeed 
it is chiefly in this fchool that midwifery is at all ftudied, 
at leaft by foreigners, at Vienna; for profefior Boer’s 
ledtures in the univerfity are for mid wives rather than 
male ftudents ; and the ledtures of profefior Schmitt in 
the Jofephine Academy interfere with the clinical vifit 
of profeflor Boer. 
Profelfor Boer vifits his clinic morning and evening. 
The morning vifit is from nine to ten ; and is fo far 
public, that foreign ftudents, who apply to profeiTor 
Boer, are permitted to attend gratis, and to be prefent 
at the deliveries which happen between thefe hours. 
Thofe who follow this vifit meet in the delivery-ward, 
and then attend the profeflor through the wards con¬ 
taining the women who have been delivered. Two wards 
for this clafs of patients are conftantly in ufe, each of 
fourteen beds. A third was formerly kept for the pur- 
pofe of emptying either of the others at pleafure ; but 
fometimes all the three are occupied. 
Into one of thefe wards, thofe who are about to be 
delivered are brought as foon as their labour-pains com¬ 
mence, and there they remain until the os uteri has di¬ 
lated. They then pals into the delivery-ward, which is 
fituated between the two large wards for women who 
have been delivered. The floors of all thefe apartments 
are covered along the fides of the beds with broad pieces 
of dark-coloured cloth, which are continued alfo between 
the wards. This prevents thofe who have been deli¬ 
vered from ftepping out of bed upon a cold floor, and 
hides any blood which may fall from the woman in la¬ 
bour, as (he pafles into the delivery-ward. The delivery- 
ward contains four beds, which are furrounded by the 
kind of moveable curtains formerly defcribed. No de¬ 
livery-chair is employed by profeflor Boer; but the bed 
is arranged to anfwer the purpofe of a delivery-chair, by 
means of ten- bags of ftraw, each three feet long, and 
from a foot to a foot and a half thick. Thefe are laid 
above the ftraw-mattrefs of the bed, and ferve to raife the 
head and back of the patient. Over all are laid a woollen 
coverlet and a (h.eet, and a coverlet of the fame kind is 
laid over the woman. 
Theaffiftant and the midwife live in the hofpital, and 
are prefent at all deliveries. The profefior does not live 
in the hofpital, and is called only in difficult cafes. 
There are ten male ftudents, and as many female pupils, 
to whofe care the patients are particularly intruded be¬ 
fore and after delivery, as well as during the time of 
labour. Six of thefe ftudents are ftyled intra-pracikanls, 
and the remaining four extra-pratihants. All the ten fe¬ 
male pupils are intra-pralikants, and refide in the Ge¬ 
baerhaus itfelf. The fix ftudents who are intra-pratikants 
refide in other parts of the hofpital. The four extra- 
pratikants are not Auftrians. The appointment of pra- 
tikunt is given by the profeflor, and no money is taken 
for it openly. The prelikants are the only perfon* called 
4 upon 
