A History of the Cesarean Section

Since the dawn time, giving birth has had it's share of complications. For as long as women have been giving birth, they have been experiencing problems from those births, many of which often lead to death for a mother or her unborn child. Throughout time, doctors have struggled to prevent the inadvertent death of a mother and child from labor. From primitive times until present day the act of cutting a child from a mother's womb has been in practice and has given rise to the modern Cesarean (Caesarean) section known today.

A Cesarean section, also called a C-section, is an operation where a doctor cuts into a woman’s uterus so that the infant can be extracted. The history of the Cesarean is actually a bit foggy because historians aren’t even truly sure where the name is from. Some attribute it to the surgical birth of Julius Caesar, but since his mother lived through the birth – which was extremely rare in those times – it’s unlikely that a Cesarean was performed on her. However, Cesarean births are believed to have first been performed in Rome. A C-section was usually only performed when a doctor determined that the mother was either dying or dead and it was an attempt to save the child. There is also a very early account dating back to 1000 AD which stated that Rostam, the legendary hero of Iran, was born by C-section as mentioned in the book of Shahnameh. In some places, it was even carried out as part of a ritual because many cultures believed that you had to bury a mother and child separately for their souls to rest.

The origins of the name itself are a bit foggy and there are three theories. The first is that it’s derived from the Roman legal code that said a doctor had to cut the baby out if the mother died. This code was called Lex Caesarea, which means “imperial law.” It could also have come from the Roman story that claims Caesar was born this way. Other facts that support this theory point to the modern Dutch, Hungarian, Danish and German terms for the procedure translating to “Emperor’s section." The third theory suggests that it came from the Lain verb caedere, which means “to cut.” Somehow, the full term became redundant.

In the beginning, C-sections were performed with very crude instruments by today’s standards. They used painkilling anesthesia drugs that were composed of herbs to numb the mother and crude surgical knives. Often, the mother’s wounds were not even treated because she was already dead or dying. Later on, after the discovery of germs, banana wine was used by English doctors to both intoxicate the mother and kill germs on a doctor’s hands. As Western medicine evolved, so did the drugs. In the 19^th century, a doctor used chloroform on a woman and it became a wide practice. Forceps were used to remove an infant but this often resulted in injury to the infant and they had limitations. The design of the forceps gradually changed to prevent damage to the mother’s vaginal walls.

Most confirmed C-section cases are linked to figures that were famous. Raymond Nannatus, a Catalan saint, was delivered by Cesarean in 1204 and Robert II of Scotland was delivered by Cesarean in 1316. The first recorded case of a mother surviving occurred in 1500 in Switzerland after a pig gelder performed it on his wife. However, even by 1865, the morality rate was 85% in countries where it was most popular, like England and Ireland. In the 19^th century, there were reports of successful Cesarean sections being performed in Africa. In 1879, a traveler reported that he witnessed one performed by Ugandans where the mother recovered, which indicated that the practice had been in use and perfected in Africa for some time by the time others realized it. The first successful Cesarean to take place in America occurred in 1794 on a woman named Elizabeth. Her husband, a West Virginian doctor, performed the operation. When Max Sanger introduced uterine suturing to the world in 1882, the morality rate dropped. As a woman’s surgical cuts could then be sewn up properly, she did not bleed to death and was able to heal. Today, Cesarean sections are far more common than they used to be and the morality rate is much lower because of antibiotics, anesthesia, sanitation, and advances in medical technology. Most doctors can tell when a woman is having complications that will require a C-section. In fact, it’s so common that many women elect to have a C-section instead of giving birth vaginally.

Disclaimer: The information provided within this site is not meant to be a substitute for a medical doctor's opinion. This site is for informational purposes ONLY. Please check with your medical practitioner before any type of treatment or prevention method is started.

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