[The birthing chair, obstetric bed and gynecological chair in obstetrics and gynecology in Russia of XVIII-XX centuries].

The purpose of the study is to investigate material culture of obstetrics in New and Modern history of Russia. The most important objective of research is to involve into scientific circulation Russian empirical material in order to study transformation of culture of childbirth during transition from traditional to biomedical model of childbirth exemplified by material culture items (maternity beds, chairs, armchairs). The key approaches were those of historical anthropology, social history of medicine, theory of social control and medicalization. The methods of content analysis, narrative and interpretive analysis were applied to analyze empirical data. In the Russian folk tradition included no such special devices as maternity beds and birth chairs that was explained by dominance of vertical maternity pose. The first birth chairs were brought into Russia by foreign midwives. With development of clinical obstetrics horizontal position of woman in labor was approving that was conditioned by convenience of physicians. Since last quarter of the XIX century, Russian physicians began to experiment, inventing most convenient version of maternity beds and gynecological chairs. The Soviet system of obstetrics was mass and publicly accessible, but consolidated technocratic model of childbirth. In maternity wards, the "Rakhmanov obstetric bed" became widespread. The chairs were not used during childbirth, being used exclusively in gynecology. The material culture of Soviet maternity hospitals turned out to be extremely stable and conservative. In modern Russian obstetrics, with transition to holistic model of childbirth and actualization of free positioning of woman in labor, transformer beds and fitballs began to be applied to provide optimal course of birth process. The material culture of obstetrics is closely related to dominant type of maternity culture.

Revisiting the evolution of the Hippocratic Oath in obstetrics and gynecology.

Hippocrates, an influential figure in ancient Greek medicine, is best known for his lasting contribution, the Hippocratic Oath, which includes a significant message about obstetrics and gynecology. Given the Oath's status as a widely regarded ethical code for medical practice, it requires critical evaluation. The message of the Oath, as it related to obstetrics and gynecology, is expressed in ancient Greek by the phrase "οὐδὲ γυναικὶ πεσσὸν φθόριον δώσω" which translates directly to "I will not give to any woman a harming pessary." The words fetus and abortion were not present in the original Greek text of the Oath. Yet, this message of the Hippocratic Oath has been interpreted often as a prohibition against abortion. In this article, we present a critical linguistic and historical analysis and argue against the notion that the Hippocratic Oath was prohibiting abortion. We provide evidence that the words "foetum" (fetus) and "abortu" (abortion) were inserted in the Latin translations of the Oath, which then carried on in subsequent English versions. The addition of the words "fetus" and "abortion" in the Latin translations significantly altered the Oath's original meaning. Unfortunately, these alterations in the translation of the Hippocratic Oath have been accepted over the years because of cultural, religious, and social reasons. We assert that because the original Hippocratic Oath did not contain language related to abortion, it should not be construed as prohibiting it. The interpretation of the Oath should be based on precise and rigorous translation and speculative interpretations should be avoided.

A Glimpse into Gynecologic Practice During the Islamic Golden Age.

The Islamic Golden Age was the time in history from eighth to fourteenth century. This era was marked by expansion of Islamic world to all the Middle East, North Africa, South and East Europe, and Central Asia. The Islamic world was the wealthiest region in the world at that time and that wealth was utilized to promote great flourishing in the arts, philosophy, science, and medicine. The practice of healing was considered the most noble of human undertakings by Islamic scholars. In this era, many great physician-scientists emerged in the Islamic world, albeit several were not Muslims, who examined prior writings, corrected many, and proceeded to produce their own observations and innovations. This article highlights some of the most important contributions to gynecology of some prominent scholars during this shining phase of medical history.

Soranus of Ephesus (98-138 ad) and his contributions on human embryology, paediatrics and obstetric knowledge.

This study describes the life and works of Soranus of Ephesus (98-138 AD) who was born in Ephesus in Asia Minor and he practiced medicine in Alexandria and Rome in the Roman period (1st/2nd century AD). Although the majority of his writings have been lost, his surviving popular scientific textbook, a four-volume treatise on "Gynecology", describes ancient medical practice regarding human embryology, paediatrics and obstetrics.

Historical Primer on Obstetrics and Gynecology Health Inequities in America: A Narrative Review of Four Events.

Four historical events provide context for racial injustices and inequities in medicine in the United States today: the invention of race as a social construct, enslavement in the Americas, the legal doctrine of Partus sequitur ventrem, and the American eugenics movement. This narrative review demonstrates how these race-based systems resulted in stereotypes, myths, and biases against Black individuals that contribute to health inequities today. Education on the effect of slavery in current health care outcomes may prevent false explanations for inequities based on stereotypes and biases. These historical events validate the need for medicine to move away from practicing race-based medicine and instead aim to understand the intersectionality of sex, race, and other social constructs in affecting the health of patients today.

History of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynaecology from 1971 to 2021 on occasion of the 50 years anniversary of EFSUMB.

Diagnostic ultrasound in obstetrics and gynaecology has experienced a fantastic evolution during the past seven decades. Initial steps with A-mode technology were followed by B-mode and B-mode real-time imaging, then by Doppler and colour Doppler ultrasound, and finally by 3D/4D ultrasound. Other evolutionary steps were the development of high-resolution transabdominal and transvaginal transducers providing high quality images in the first, second and third trimesters of pregancy, as well as in gynaecology and breast imaging.The progression from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional ultrasound (3D) and 3D real-time imaging (4D) has brought new options in displaying anatomical structures. In comparison with CT or MRI, it is not a static but functional technique, cheap and safe, and applicable at any time.

The Marburg Museum Anatomicum and its unusual gynecological specimens: A brief history and ethical contextualisation.

INTRODUCTION: The Marburg Museum Anatomicum displays a number of unique specimens related to obstetric problems. An ethically intensely disputed example is the bisected body of a pregnant woman and her fetus. Current information stemming from previous publications relates it to a fictional young woman who, who, having got pregnant by a student, committed suicide. This narrative was derived from a novel by the author Walter Bloem (1868-1951), orally transmitted without further proof of reliability. The present study attempts to uncover the true background beyond this narrative and to clarify the acquisition of the body by the anatomical collection and its personal background. SOURCES AND METHODS: Archival material as well as contemporary publications of professors of obstetrics and of anatomy along with data derived from civil and ecclesiastic registry offices were evaluated and compared with observations on the specimen. FINDINGS: Comparison of data derived from the fictional description and observations on the specimen showed significant differences, excluding the narrative as a reliable source. Closer examination of the scientific output of former chairs of obstetrics showed that Professor Wilhelm Zangemeister (1871-1930), head of the clinics of gynecology and obstetrics between 1910 and 1925, published several studies on the clinical significance of narrow pelvis during delivery. In his textbook of obstetrics, published in 1927, he showed an illustration of a frozen section of a pregnant woman with kyphosis who had died from myocarditis. The drawing clearly represents the specimen, having been mounted in a large glass vessel in 1922 and included in the collection of the Anatomical Institute. CONCLUSIONS: The current narrative on the bisected body of a pregnant woman and her fetus preserved in the Marburg Museum Anatomicum has nothing to do with the specimen in the collection. In fact, the latter was prepared in 1922 by order of the former professor of obstetrics, Wilhelm Zangemeister, who later published the case in his textbook of obstetrics. The ethical consequences of the changing ontological status and origin of the specimen and its public display are discussed.

The Italian gynecology at the beginnings of the twentieth century: analysis of medical records from the Institute directed by Luigi Mangiagalli.

The history of the modern Italian gynecology is closely related to the figure of an enlightened clinician and passionate master, Luigi Mangiagalli (1850-1928), who, with good reason, can be considered one of the fathers of this discipline. In 1906, Mangiagalli founded the Obstetric-Gynecological Institute in Milan, directing this structure until 1925. The aim of this paper is to describe some aspects of Italian gynecology at the beginnings of the twentieth century through the analysis of 250 original medical records, dating back to the years 1906-1912, fragments of real life of women, midwives and doctors in a pioneering era of obstetrics and gynecology.

El ejemplo, la única manera de enseñar / Examples, the only way to teach

Introducción La Universidad de La Sabana conserva una colección de recetas médicas empleadas durante el siglo XVIII en la Nueva Granada; una de estas integra agentes fitoterapéuticos para aliviar síntomas generados por infecciones de la glándula mamaria. Objetivo Exponer una receta utilizada para el tratamiento del absceso mamario y definir si los componentes de esta tenían efectos beneficiosos en la enfermedad. Material y métodos Se realizó una búsqueda en El Archivo Histórico de la Biblioteca Octavio Arizmendi Posada en la Universidad de La Sabana, donde se encuentra la receta «apostema en los pechos de mujeres», y posteriormente se hizo una recopilación de datos y revisión de la literatura sobre este método en las bases de datos de PubMed, Google Académico y SciELO. Resultados Se encontró que plantas como Luffa cylindrica y Lonicera japonica tienen propiedades galactogogas, analgésicas y antiinflamatorias, pudiendo prevenir el desarrollo del absceso mamario. Por otro lado, la hoja de col tiene un rol importante en el alivio del dolor una vez se tiene el absceso dadas sus propiedades analgésicas. Conclusión A través de la revisión de textos originales de la época se encuentra una receta médica colonial; se revisaron efectos fitoterapéuticos de sus componentes y se destacan beneficios galactogogos, analgésicos y antiinflamatorios. Permitiendo contrastar desde la evidencia médica actual algunos de los métodos de origen natural empleados para los abscesos mamarios en la Nueva Granada durante los siglos XVIII y XIX. (AU)

Introduction The University of La Sabana preserves a collection of medical prescriptions used in the eighteenth century in New Granada; one of these contains phytotherapeutic agents to alleviate the symptoms caused by mammary gland infections. Objective To present a formula used to treat breast abscesses and to determine whether the components are effective in resolving this entity. Materials and methods We conducted a search in the Historical Archive of the Octavio Arizmendi Posada Library of the University of La Sabana, where we found the formula “abscess in women's breasts”. We also collected data and performed a literature search on this method in the PubMed, Google Scholar and SciELO databases. Results The use of plants such as Luffa cylindrica and Lonicera japonica could prevent the development of breast abscesses due to their galactagogue, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage leaf also plays an important role in relieving pain in persons with abscesses, due to its analgesic properties. Conclusion Through the review of eighteenth century texts, we found a colonial medical prescription and reviewed the phytotherapeutic effects of its components, highlighting its galactagogue benefits. This allows a comparison between current medical evidence and some of the natural methods used for breast abscesses in New Granada during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. (AU)

In Sickness and in Health: Expert Discussions on Abortion Indications, Risks, and Patient-Doctor Relationships in Postwar Poland.

This article analyzes expert debates relating to abortion in Poland between 1956 and 1993, a period when the procedure was legal and accessible. Through the pages of the primary Polish journal for gynecology and obstetrics, Ginekologia Polska, the author traces continuities and ruptures around three major intersecting themes: the procedure's indications, its (dis)connection to health, and the patient-doctor relationship. The journal became a forum showcasing interpretative tensions over indications for abortion and the malleability of the categories "therapeutic" and "social." In addition to these tensions, abortion was represented throughout this period as a potentially risky surgery, although this was initially nuanced with parallel representations of legal abortion combating maternal mortality. During the 1970s, abortion began to be linked to infertility, often in simplistic cause-and-effect terms. Simultaneously, opposition to abortion based on the idea of defense of the nation and fetal "life," surfaced in expert discourse.

#SayHerName: Should Obstetrics and Gynecology Reckon with the Legacy of JM Sims?

Dr. James Marion Sims has been heralded as the "father of modern gynecology" for his groundbreaking surgical technique to repair post-partum vesicovaginal fistulas (VVF); however, the ethical concerns around his inhumane practices and the contributions of the enslaved women he refined his technique on are rarely recognized. Acknowledging the personal sacrifice of the enslaved women and addressing the truth behind the immoral practices of Sims, encourages reconciliation of the race-based medical atrocities of the past and sets the tone for moral, more equitable medical care moving forward.

Control of cervical cancer in Minas Gerais in the mid-1900s: the Belo Horizonte Hospital of Gynecology. / A experiência mineira no controle do câncer do colo do útero em meados do século XX: o Hospital de Ginecologia de Belo Horizonte.

This article discusses the structuring of the Hospital of Gynecology in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, which was founded by the gynecologist Clóvis Salgado in 1939 as part of efforts to control cervical cancer. Created as a space for practical teaching in the School of Medicine, the hospital was a pioneer in introducing colposcopy in the state and establishing a structure specifically for care and diagnosis. This analysis investigates how promoting and attempting to assert diagnostic technologies were important in organizing this institution and its professional staff. The hospital firmly established itself in terms of activities to control cervical cancer by disseminating colposcopy as a technique, establishing dialogs with similar national institutions, and participating in exchanges with German science.

O artigo discute a organização do Hospital de Ginecologia em Belo Horizonte, fundado pelo ginecologista Clóvis Salgado, em 1939, atentando para sua atuação no controle do câncer do colo do útero. Criado como espaço para ensino prático da Faculdade de Medicina, foi pioneiro na introdução da colposcopia em Minas Gerais e na montagem de uma estrutura própria de atendimento e diagnóstico. Na análise, investiga-se como a promoção e tentativa de afirmação das tecnologias de diagnóstico foram pontos importantes na estruturação da instituição e de seu corpo profissional. O hospital afirmou-se na organização de ações de controle da doença, por meio da difusão da técnica, do diálogo com instituições nacionais congêneres e do intercâmbio com a ciência alemã.