- Email: [email protected]
ATTENDANCE AT ACCOUCHEMENTS.
MEDICAL REFORMERS AND THE NON.REFORMERS.
652
approbation, accompanies her attendant in walks into the country, or on business with the shops in the town, and mixes harmlessly and happily with the other patients at their
THE LANCET.
monthly tea-drinkings and dances. My exLondon, Saturday, February 5, 1842. periment of abolishing altogether solitary confinement in this institution, undertaken at A. PAMPHLET by the Regius Professor of the same period as the experiment with Miss A., has proved equally successful ; Medicine in the University of Oxford has and the extraordinary improvement which just appeared, containing " Further 0&sert;ahas followed in the good order of the north galleries, remarked upon both by the official tions on Medical Reform,’’ which, as the title visitors and by strangers, confirms my belief be considered supplementary that this practice may be safely introduced denotes, may to author’s the former publication on the into other asylums, as an accompaniment and a part of the system of the disuse of re- same subject. Medical Reform has attained straints, now in course of adoption through- so high a place in public opinion that none of out the kingdom." the organs of corruption dare assail it openly. That would require some courage. They ATTENDANCE AT ACCOUCHEMENTS. prefer the more cautious course of professing To the Editor
of THE LANCET.
adhesion to a certain abstraction called " reform," while they treat all the details of a
constant reader of your very and I must say that, although not a medical man, I have derived much useful information from its pages. I have seen several letters of late on permitting husbands to visit the room of their wives during the progress of accouchement. Some medical men affect to permit this, while others give reluctant consent to what they would, if they could, prevent. One correspondent seems to be particularly fidgetty on the subject, while he says, that " all the world knows what is going on in the lyingin-chamber ;" yet he thinks that the husband should not be admitted, on the score of decency. But if it be indecent for the husband to be there, why a man at all? Without
SIR,—I
valuable
am a
Periodical,
reform which would be beneficial to the
public, or the great mass of the profession, with indifference, contempt, and ill-concealed hatred. Like certain slavers, they sometimes hoist republican colours, make exaggerated
professions, and "thank" such
reformers as Mr. CARMICHAEL and Professor KIDD for coming forward ; while they misrepresent the opinions of those gentlemen, and attempt to cover their generous efforts with the ridicule of Quixotism. In the first part of his pamphlet, Professor disparaging the high office of the skilful sur- KIDD mildly expostulates with the reckless geon, might not a woman do the work when antagonists of Medical Reform, and points needed for her " sister-woman ?" From the out their and perfection -with which Nature carries out her design in this process, I think that a woman, properly educated, would be fully equal to the task, and I believe far more acceptable. For myself, I look on the profession of man-midwife as a very mal-appropriate employment. The man-milliner is not more so. I am not altogether inexperienced on the subject : I have a numerous and healthy family, and so have my connections, without having been indebted for them to male midwives. Indeed, the man-midwife is an importation, and not a very ancient one ; and, at the present time, his employment is rather a matter of custom than of science. At some time
undeviating certainty
distinctly, though
very
temperately,
dishonesty and disingenuousness.
He refers,
example, to the false interpretation which they have attached to such a phrase as " one faculty," and to their puerile attempts to sneer at the idea of giving unity to the medical profession, by the use of such elegant compounds as " one-faculty-men." "Now, though I am far from accusing
for
those who have been in the habit of using such terms of having designedly acted unfairly, I would entreat them henceforth to consider whether the systematic adoption of contemptuous expressions is in itself either a liberal or other, sooner or later, our countrywomen or a fair mode of combating an opponent: will return to the practice, and the " iiide- for contempt, though it may momentarily incency" will then vanish. Your very humble trude itself, ought never to be habitually servant, harboured by anyone of correct feeling ; H. B. and it is at all events an 2cnzvurtiay, if not a Mile End, Jan.lT, 1842. substitute for argument."
dishonest,
652
approbation, accompanies her attendant in walks into the country, or on business with the shops in the town, and mixes harmlessly and happily with the other patients at their
THE LANCET.
monthly tea-drinkings and dances. My exLondon, Saturday, February 5, 1842. periment of abolishing altogether solitary confinement in this institution, undertaken at A. PAMPHLET by the Regius Professor of the same period as the experiment with Miss A., has proved equally successful ; Medicine in the University of Oxford has and the extraordinary improvement which just appeared, containing " Further 0&sert;ahas followed in the good order of the north galleries, remarked upon both by the official tions on Medical Reform,’’ which, as the title visitors and by strangers, confirms my belief be considered supplementary that this practice may be safely introduced denotes, may to author’s the former publication on the into other asylums, as an accompaniment and a part of the system of the disuse of re- same subject. Medical Reform has attained straints, now in course of adoption through- so high a place in public opinion that none of out the kingdom." the organs of corruption dare assail it openly. That would require some courage. They ATTENDANCE AT ACCOUCHEMENTS. prefer the more cautious course of professing To the Editor
of THE LANCET.
adhesion to a certain abstraction called " reform," while they treat all the details of a
constant reader of your very and I must say that, although not a medical man, I have derived much useful information from its pages. I have seen several letters of late on permitting husbands to visit the room of their wives during the progress of accouchement. Some medical men affect to permit this, while others give reluctant consent to what they would, if they could, prevent. One correspondent seems to be particularly fidgetty on the subject, while he says, that " all the world knows what is going on in the lyingin-chamber ;" yet he thinks that the husband should not be admitted, on the score of decency. But if it be indecent for the husband to be there, why a man at all? Without
SIR,—I
valuable
am a
Periodical,
reform which would be beneficial to the
public, or the great mass of the profession, with indifference, contempt, and ill-concealed hatred. Like certain slavers, they sometimes hoist republican colours, make exaggerated
professions, and "thank" such
reformers as Mr. CARMICHAEL and Professor KIDD for coming forward ; while they misrepresent the opinions of those gentlemen, and attempt to cover their generous efforts with the ridicule of Quixotism. In the first part of his pamphlet, Professor disparaging the high office of the skilful sur- KIDD mildly expostulates with the reckless geon, might not a woman do the work when antagonists of Medical Reform, and points needed for her " sister-woman ?" From the out their and perfection -with which Nature carries out her design in this process, I think that a woman, properly educated, would be fully equal to the task, and I believe far more acceptable. For myself, I look on the profession of man-midwife as a very mal-appropriate employment. The man-milliner is not more so. I am not altogether inexperienced on the subject : I have a numerous and healthy family, and so have my connections, without having been indebted for them to male midwives. Indeed, the man-midwife is an importation, and not a very ancient one ; and, at the present time, his employment is rather a matter of custom than of science. At some time
undeviating certainty
distinctly, though
very
temperately,
dishonesty and disingenuousness.
He refers,
example, to the false interpretation which they have attached to such a phrase as " one faculty," and to their puerile attempts to sneer at the idea of giving unity to the medical profession, by the use of such elegant compounds as " one-faculty-men." "Now, though I am far from accusing
for
those who have been in the habit of using such terms of having designedly acted unfairly, I would entreat them henceforth to consider whether the systematic adoption of contemptuous expressions is in itself either a liberal or other, sooner or later, our countrywomen or a fair mode of combating an opponent: will return to the practice, and the " iiide- for contempt, though it may momentarily incency" will then vanish. Your very humble trude itself, ought never to be habitually servant, harboured by anyone of correct feeling ; H. B. and it is at all events an 2cnzvurtiay, if not a Mile End, Jan.lT, 1842. substitute for argument."
dishonest,