The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-04-24


as childbed fever, which afflicted
women about four days after the
birth of a child and had an ap-
palling mortality.
In nearly any community in the
civilized portions of the United
States; which was then along the
Atlantic seaboard, the mortality
was at least ten percent of all
women bearing children, attended
by physicians; in some commune
ties it was as high as 80 percent.
The doctors preferred to ascribe
it 20 an accident or TO an act of
God. DR.. Holmes stated in very
clear and specific terms that it
was due to filth that the doctors
carried on their hands, which con-
taminated the mother. This natu-
rally outraged the medical pro-
fession and young DR.. Holmes
(who was only 34) was attacked
with great vituperation. He stuck
10 his guns, however, and stated:
"The disease known as puerperal
fever is so far contagious as TO
be frequently carried from patient
TO patient by physicians and
nurses" He also quoted the words
II Gordon of Aberdeen, who said:
i could venture TO foretell what
women would be affected with the
disease by hearing by what mid
wife or nurse they were to De at
tended during their lying-in."
Preventive Asepsis
This is one of the first sugges-
tons of the principle Of preven-
tive asepsis which is now such a
commonplace in every department
of medicine, surgery and obstet-
RIGS.
Somewhat later a young man in
Vienna named Semmelweis, who
was an attendant at the Mater
nifty Hospital, found a woman in
his ward crying, He asked her the
reason and she said it was because
she had been sent to his ward,
that she would rather go to the
ward Of the midwives because
they had fewer deaths from sep
sis.
He then Investigated and found
that the students in his ward
came directly from the post-mor-
tenn room and examined the
women in the maternity ward
without washing their hands. He
instituted preventive methods by
making them wash their hands and
rinse them in a solution of chic
ride of lime, following which his
mortality dropped to the unheard
Of level of 1.25 per cent.
Centenary Celebration
The centenary was celebrated
this year in New York by the Ma
ternity Center Association with
dignified and appropriate cere-
monies. 1t was pointed out that
today in the United States the
percentage of women who have
babies and who contract this dis
case is .00l percent $1,000 out
of more than 100000 cases).
Every mother in the country,
indeed, every mother in the world
should pay grateful homage this
year to Oliver Wendell Holmes.
He said: 81 do not know that
shall ever again have so good an
opportunity of being useful as
was granted me by the raising of
the question which produced this
essay" To his detractors he said:
IL take no offence and attempt no
retort. No man makes a quarrel
with me over the counterpart that
covers a mother, with her new
born infant at her breast!"
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
G. R. A: The Navy has rejected
me because ] have extra systoles.
/ am AZ. What causes them and
can they be eliminated? The Navy
doctor told me that they did not
disappear after exercise. What
would that mean?
Answers Extra systoles are ex-
ira beats of the heart, forming a
very common type of irregularity
Of the pulse. In most instances
they are harmless and meaning
less. Sometimes, however, they in
dicate a mild disease of the heart
muscle. In most cases they dissp-
pear after exercise; in cases where
they do indicate heart muscle dis
case, they do not disappear after
exercise.