Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-16
AMERICAN TWILIGHT
SLEEP DISCREDITED
BY DOCTORS HERE
of Pain in Child
birth Through the Admin
istration of Laughing Gas
Viewed With Suspicion.

Another method of bringing about pain
less childbirth which is said by some
physicians to have all of the advantages
and none Of the disadvantages of the
recently exploited German twilight sleep"
is being widely discussed today in Phila-
delphia's medical circles.
II has been called the American twi-
light sleep, although its sponsors claim
that not sleep, but merely an inscnsibility
to pain is its chief characteristic. This
insensibility to pain is accomplished by
administering to the mother a mixture
of oxygen and nitrous oxide, the latter
being familiarly known to the layman as
the laughing gas of the dentists.
Philadelphia physicians, however, are
inclined to look with disfavor upon this
or any of the other so-called methods
of painless childbirth.
In discussing the matter, DR.. Wilmer
Krusen, one of the most eminent obstetri-
clans In the city, said
I'm the selection of any method Of re-
lievinE woman of the pains of birth,
safety first must always be the chief con-
sideration. The first question that any
good obstetrician asks himself is not how
least pain but how may she have II with
the least danger to herself and the baby?
ordinarily when n physician is oper-
ating he has only one patient to consider,
but when he is attending a birth he
always has two and sometimes three, II
the case happens to be one of twins
Scopolamine and narcophine, which
nave been given such wide publicity by
the German obstetriclans of Freiburg,
We're an old story to America when all
the recent fuss was made about them.
They had been tried in maternity hospitals
and discarded as being impractical
Nor Is there anything new about the
use of nitrous oxide and oxygen l have
used 1t. and | expect every other ply
stcian has also. What Is popularity known
as laughing gas is. from a statistical
standpoint, one of the safest anesthetics
employed, and by an admixtre of this
nitrous oxide with oxygen an insenslbility
to pain can be induced. but of course,
If 1t is used in the case of childbirth the
length OF time required FOR a safe de-
livery will be greatly increased.
AS yet do not think a universal pain
less childbirth Is in sight. Nitrous oxide
and oxygen might be used with good re-
suits in hospital. but 1t would be utterly
impractical in the home. for two large
tanks. one for the laughing gas and one
for the oxygen would be required"
At the Jefferson Medical College DIR.
Ross V. Patterson, the sub dean, did not
show much sympathy for anw of these
painless methods.
Either. chlOroform and nitrous oxide
are three of the most common forms of
anesthesia, and they doubtless have all
been used and are being used Laugh |
ing gas is not new to us, but its use !
in relieving the plains Of childbirth would
undoubtedly prolonE the labor, and,
therefore, the danger of hemorrhaEe to !
ba aEnhN'xio N iq
greatly increased
"rhe recent magazine exploitation of |
the twilight sleep was ridiculous and !
prcposterous. For instance, n picture was
shown portrayng a mother and two chill
dren, the one about years of age. born |
in the usual way and the other about 6,
born under the twilight sleep. The latter |
was more robust and more healthy seem !
ingly than the older child. and the In |
ference was that the twilight sleep was re- !
sponsible. Utterly ridiculous! All OF the |
odds would have been in favor OF the |
child born in the ordinary way.
"The second child was doubtless a more
healthy one. And you know It's hard to |
kill a healthy baby. You can knock il |
around. put II out on the window ledge |
and do most anything with It, and still. |
II II is normal, 1t will have such a wide |
margin of health that 1t will doubtless |
survive.
any metnon Wnlcn ntehs sucn DolStef-
Ing up and such exploitation as the tw- |
light sleep is in a sorry state. l do not |
think that painless childbirth will ever |
be universal"
At the Jefferson Maternity Hospital |
they are not administering the nitrous |
oxide and oxygen to their patients.
The Cumberland Street Hospital of |
BROOKLYN, n. Y, Is trying II out. however. |
and DR.. Herbert C. Allen, at a recent |
meeting of the Homeopathic Medical So
cicty of New York, spoke in favor of 1t,