Operative vaginal delivery - An historical perspective.

This chapter will cover the evolution of forceps and vacuum-assisted delivery of the foetus in cephalic presentation. The options available before the development of obstetric forceps are briefly reviewed. The invention of the forceps in the early 17th century was followed by their evolution over four centuries with the introduction of the pelvic curve, axis-traction and rotational forceps. The phase of prophylactic forceps delivery will be discussed. The development of vacuum-assisted delivery has evolved over the past 150 years. However, in practical terms, the modern era of vacuum-assisted delivery began with Tage Malmström's vacuum extractor in the early 1950s. The evolution of the modern vacuum extractor with metal, soft and hard plastic cups will be reviewed.

Clocks with hands: instruments, hands and parturients in a changing horizon of time.

This contribution explores the intertwining history of the obstetrician's hand and of (measurable) time. In a long-term historical perspective both on the metaphorical and practical role of the hand in obstetrical discourse and on the changing relation between continuous and discontinuous time, I come to the conclusion that the introduction of certain instruments into obstetrical practice around 1750 went hand in hand with an epistemological change regarding the conception of the living body and its time modes. The obstetrical forceps, which started its career together with male obstetrics and the introduction of the lying-in hospital as a new institution of giving birth, was instrumental in implementing practical and theoretical changes in dealing with the mother's and the child's bodies, which were by no mean beneficial for them.

[Kristeller's procedure--Expressio fetus, its genesis and contemporary application]. / Zabieg Kristellera--Expressio fetus, jego geneza i wspólczesne zastosowanie.

The aim of the article is to introduce the original version of Kristeller's procedure - Expressio fetus. The author of the procedure, Samuel Kristeller, was bom in 1820 in Ksiaz Wielkopolski. He worked as a physician in Gniezno, then in Berlin. He is known as the creator of the described procedure - pushing out the foetus. He had also specified the meaning of the cervical plug (Kristeller's plug), and modified obstetrical forceps. He died in Berlin in 1900. In 1867, Kristeller published a study in which he described a procedure, of which he was the author, of pushing out the foetus (manual assistance), its technique, conditions and recommendations for its application. The main idea of the procedure meant strengthening uterine contractions during labour by massaging the uterus and pressing it many times shortly, towards the long axis of the birth canal. Nowadays this procedure has become warped in its form; there remains also the controversy whether or not to use external force directed on the uterine fundus during labour, due to the risk of intrauterine foetal anoxia and other complications.

[Forceps: description, obstetric mecanics, indications and contra-indications]. / Forceps : description, mécanique, indications et contre-indications.

Obstetric forceps are used to guide fetal movement during delivery, ideally accompanied by active pushing by the mother. Forceps in the form of "tongs" appeared in the 17(th) century, and by the 19(th) century had evolved into forceps with two crossing shafts (Levret, Pajot, Kielland), axis-traction forceps (Tarnier), and forceps with convergent shafts (Démelin, Suzor). Application and traction differ according to the type of instrument, and require extensive training and knowledge of obstetric mechanics. The easiest and most suitable applications are anterior. In transverse application, forceps with convergent shafts or another instrument (spatulas or vacuum extractor) are to be preferred. Certain deliveries can be difficult, and require careful evaluation informed by experience. If the fetus is not progressing after three pulls, this route of delivery should be abandoned.

[Surgical instruments for impossible births in the Museum of History of Medicine in Roma]. / Strumenti per le nascite impossibili: forcipi ed embriotomi nelle collezioni del Museo di Storia della Medicina di Roma.

The Museum of History of Medicine of Rome collects gynaecological and obstetrical instruments. Forceps and embriotomy instruments illustrate the evolution of a sort of an "obstetrical speciality", from antiquity to XIX century. The article focuses mainly on the gradual transformation of forceps's use, from abortive to useful instrument for childbirth.

Hector Landouzy on facial paralysis in newborn children: the case studies of a 19th-century French hospital physician.

Marc-Hector Landouzy (1812-1864) was one of the first to describe facial paralysis in newborn, through a series of case studies. By examining these four cases in the context of Landouzy's life, publications and professional circumstances, this study shows how case studies were an important part of the scientific revolution within medicine in the 19th century. Landouzy, soon followed by others, used the growing clinical populations of Parisian hospitals, patho-anatomy and cutting-edge physiologic techniques to help describe a previously ignored disease among newborns. His case studies, in particular, are a valuable example of the emerging interest in children as a clinical population and of early interest in child neurology.

El fórceps obstétrico / Obstetric forceps

El fórceps es un instrumento cuya historia se ha caracterizado por cambios y modificaciones periódicas tanto en su diseño y construcción como en sus indicaciones y técnica de aplicación. En este trabajo se revisan a la luz de los actuales conocimientos, las funciones, indicaciones, condiciones y contraindicaciones para la realización de los fórceps. Igualmente se repasa someramente la técnica para su realización y las complicaciones que pueden derivarse de su uso

Many different types of forceps have been described and developed throughout time. Here we review the role of forceps delivery in modern obstetric practice, functions, indications, contraindications, maternal and fetal morbidity, and application technique