mark@dmcnh.UUCP (Mark Roddy) (07/11/86)
> > advances made just in the last two centuries. C-sections are a RECENT > development. > I think a fellow named Julius Caesar was born via C-section quite a bit longer than two centuries ago, and I don't think that the technique was invented just for him. Cesarians are indeed one of the oldest surgical techniques. (It is true however that hunter/gatherer societies probably did not perform c-sections.) I am under the impression that most primitive societies do have some surgical techniques in their health care customs. The greatest advance in medical technology has actually been simple sanitary practices, i.e. separation of sewage from drinking water, not gadgetry. Sanitation requires no advanced technology whatsoever. *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) (07/14/86)
In article <262@dmcnh.UUCP>, mark@dmcnh.UUCP (Mark Roddy) writes: > > > > advances made just in the last two centuries. C-sections are a RECENT > > development. > > > I think a fellow named Julius Caesar was born via C-section quite a bit > longer than two centuries ago, and I don't think that the technique was > invented just for him. Cesarians are indeed one of the oldest surgical > techniques. In the absence of disinfectants to prevent infection, and anesthetics to prevent shock, most surgical procedures are gambles against very very long odds. In particular I am under the impression that C-sections were performed to save the baby after it had become clear that the mother was going to die regardless. > > The greatest advance in medical technology has actually been simple sanitary > practices, i.e. separation of sewage from drinking water, not gadgetry. > Sanitation requires no advanced technology whatsoever. I am not sure what you mean by advanced technology, but providing clean and plentiful water for urban populations is a major technological achievement. -- "More Astronomy Ethan Vishniac Less Sodomy" {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan - from a poster seen ethan@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU at an airport Department of Astronomy University of Texas
chris@umcp-cs.UUCP (Chris Torek) (07/14/86)
>In article <262@dmcnh.UUCP> mark@dmcnh.UUCP (Mark Roddy) writes, in part: >>The greatest advance in medical technology has actually been simple >>sanitary practices, i.e. separation of sewage from drinking water, >>not gadgetry. Sanitation requires no advanced technology whatsoever. In article <994@utastro.UUCP> ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) writes: >I am not sure what you mean by advanced technology, but providing clean >and plentiful water for urban populations is a major technological >achievement. These days, doing *anything* for (or to) an urban population is a major technologial achievement. :-) It is not difficult to supply relatively-clean water to many rural populations. Some forms of sanitation---e.g., 99.9975% particulate-free air---are technologically difficult, but many are not, and those are likely the ones of which mark@dmcnh.UUCP speaks. Through use (and misuse) of technology, as well as through sheer concentration of people, large urban centers create new problems, many requiring technological solutions (large water purification plants), or more radical ones (decentralise the population). -- In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 1516) UUCP: seismo!umcp-cs!chris CSNet: chris@umcp-cs ARPA: chris@mimsy.umd.edu
buchbind@agrigene.UUCP (07/14/86)
> > > > I think a fellow named Julius Caesar was born via C-section quite a bit > longer than two centuries ago, and I don't think that the technique was > invented just for him. > The greatest advance in medical technology has actually been simple sanitary > practices, i.e. separation of sewage from drinking water, not gadgetry. > Sanitation requires no advanced technology whatsoever. Advanced technolgy? How about soap? I don't know exactly when it was invented, but they didn't have soap when J. Caesar was born. It's very useful for surgery. -- Barry Buchbinder (608)221-5000 Agrigenetics Corporation; 5649 East Buckeye Road; Madison WI 53716 USA {{harvard|topaz|seismo}!uwvax!|decvax|ihnp4}!nicmad!agrigene!buchbind
cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) (07/14/86)
> > > > > advances made just in the last two centuries. C-sections are a RECENT > > development. > > > I think a fellow named Julius Caesar was born via C-section quite a bit > longer than two centuries ago, and I don't think that the technique was > invented just for him. Cesarians are indeed one of the oldest surgical > techniques. (It is true however that hunter/gatherer societies probably > did not perform c-sections.) I am under the impression that most primitive > societies do have some surgical techniques in their health care customs. > C-section is named for Julius Caesar, but historians are now generally agreed that Caesar was not born by C-section, since his mother was alive many years after Julius' birth. I should have said that SUCCESSFUL (mother lives) C-sections are a recent development. C-sections to save the child have been around for a long time. But the mother always died. Clayton E. Cramer
dalamb@qucis.UUCP (David Lamb) (07/15/86)
The announcer for the regional radio program, Ontario Morning, likes to make occasional historical notes. A few weeks ago was the anniversary of "the first successful C-section", in the 18th century. We all know about Julius Ceasar; my wife and I decided he probably meant the first C-section where the mother survived. All this is hearsay and deduction, but perhaps it clears up the confusion?