Obstetrics

Washing bowl, copper

For a long time it was unusual for doctors to disinfect their hands. The obstetrician Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (1818-1865) observed that maternal mortality from childbed fever was significantly higher in his hospital ward than in the midwifery ward. The cause was bacteria from cadaveric dissections with which the doctors and students came into contact before examining the women. Semmelweis enforced hand washing with a chlorinated lime solution and was thus able to reduce the mortality rate. 

Unknown / ca. 1900

Birth forceps, leather ball

The forceps represent a milestone in the history of obstetrics. They consist of two separate spoons. They are applied individually to the head of the unborn child and then hooked together before traction can be exerted. In Göttingen, students practised its use with a leather ball from around 1800. With the help of the forceps, the birth process could be accelerated. It was discussed early on when the use of forceps was justified. 

Breithaupt, Cassel / ca. 1800 / unknown / ca. 1800

Birth diary

The maternity clinic at Göttingen University was founded in 1751. The director Friedrich Benjamin Osiander (1759-1822) recorded the births in birth diaries. We learn from this about the beginnings of academic obstetrics and the women who gave birth there. The pregnant women, who were mostly single, poor and socially stigmatised, received help with childbirth, free food and accommodation. In return, they were available to students and midwifery students for their training. 

Friedrich B. Osiander / 1818-1820

Embryotomy cutlery in a velvet-lined box

An embryotomy kit includes tools for dismembering the unborn child. It was used in a serious complication: the so-called "impossible birth". The woman's life could only be saved by dismembering the fetus. This raised the question of which life should be saved, the woman's life or the child's? With forceps and the possibility of a safe caesarean section, this ethical problem gradually disappeared.

Ernst Pischel, Breslau / before 1750

Collection on the History of Obstetrics

The collection of about 1,200 objects on the history of obstetrics (instruments, models, preparations, etc.) dates from the 18th and 19th centuries. The academic teachers of obstetrics and respective directors of the Accouchierhaus in Göttingen - including Friedrich Benjamin Osiander (1759-1822) and Eduard von Siebold (1801-1861) - built it up as a teaching and research collection. It is supplemented by the detailed birth records of the first clinic directors as well as other precious archival documents from the early days of academic obstetrics.

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