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Historical Perspective
when the copyeditor reconstructed the sentence, the word “not” was moved to between the words “do” and “ appear.” Unfortunately, the Editor did not recognize this change during the final review and the error was pub-
lished. We apologize to all of our readers for this s&ious error. It is amazing how moving a three-letter word can so significantly impact upon a position. That is the bad news. The good news is that at
least two of our Fellows are reading ACOG Clinical Review in a thorough fashion. Ralph W. Hale, MD Editor
By Bahman Payman, MD, FACOG EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a reader; response to the article that appeared in the Historical Perspective column of the March/April 2000 issue of ACOG ClinicalReview, ” ‘Rostam‘Is Born. How? By Cesarean Section. ” Readers are invited to submit letters to the Editor in response to articles, or submit new articles on some aspect of the histo y of women > health care for consideration forpublication in the Historical Perspective column. I was delighted to read the article “ ‘Rostam’ is born: How? By Cesarean Section,” written by Masood A. Khatamee, MD, in the ACOG Clinical Review, Volume 5, Issue 2, March/ April 2000. I was planning to submit a similar article but after reading the accurate and well-documented historical perspective by Dr. Khatamee, I would like to offer only my translation of Ferdowsi’s rhyming couplets on the birth of Rostam. Hakim Abolgasem Ferdowsi (940-1020 AD) was the author of Sbabnameb (The Book of Kings), which contains Persian myths, legends, and historic reminiscences that have lingered in the popular imagination about the country’s dynasties, kings, and heroes. Ferdowsi begins with the creation of the world to the fall of the last Persian-born dynasty of Sassanians at the Arab conquest in the seventh century. The manuscripts contain 60,000 rhyming
From
Trillium
Medical
Group
of Virginia,
couplets that are magnificently written. Not only is Ferdowsi a philosopher, historian, and poet, but he is also a great seer who was inspired to foretell of a time when there would be a world religion. 1. Rostam’s no time, Rudabeh
mother
got pregnant
was her name,
pale at time. 2. Carrying
at
becoming
so heavy inside causing
pressure and jaundice outside, Skin so stretched stony hard due to lion size baby inside. 3. Rudabeh explaining her prenatal period miserable with pain, Like “walking dead” she said with no hope but ail.
4. Towards the end of pregnancy Rudabeh
became
comatose
9. Paternal grandfather, Sam, admired the technique, and the unique grandson “Tahma”,** he calls saying no one heard or know this way of delivery for past century, and years to come. *Rastam means salvage; **Tahma means Hercules. After reading the poem, one realizes how accurate and precise Ferdowsi was 1000 years ago in sequencing and recording the procedure for the first time, namely anesthesia, surgery, antiseptic, and suturing. It was nearly 900 years later on October 16, 1846, at the Massachusetts General Hospital that the first anesthesia was administered. Therefore, I also propose that cesarean section should be known as “Rostamian section.”
with jaundice
in combination, Her mother Sindokht was on her bedside, Zal searching for miraculous so-
REFERENCES 1.
lution. 5. Zal (Rudabeh’s husband) desperately remembered the legendary bird “Si-
2.
morgh,” Got feather of the bird and burning it for the blessing from the Lord. 6. Zal, then inspired to put Rudabeh to sleep with wine, Calling high priest with dagger to slit
3.
Inc.,
Duff~eld, Virginia.
the goddess of beauty flank. 7. Making history Rostam
was born,
heavy, healthy newborn boy, After recovering from long ordeal, Rudabeh woke up with smile and joy. 8. Screaming Rudabeh: Free from pain, free from misery at last Rudabeh said “Rastam”;* Sterile wound care with plant derivative carried on by high priest advice, Rudabeh said “Rastam.”
4.
5. 6.
Ferdowsi HA. Shahnameh [Book of Kings]. Compiled by Parviz Atabaky. Tehran: National Iranian Library, 1999. Ferdowsi HA. The Epic oftheKings: Shahnama, The National Epic ofpersia. Translated by Reuben Levy. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1967. Ferdowsi HA. In the Dragon k Claws: The Story of Rostam and Esfandiyar. Translated, introduced, and annotated by Jerome W. Clinron. Washington, DC: Mage Publishers, 1999. Persian Heritage [serial online] 1999; 4(16):86. Available from: URL: http:// www.persian-heritage.com. Iranian American Medical Association (IAMA) 1993;1(1):17. Kass AM. Boston Lying-In Hospital: The early years. ACOG Clin Rev 1998;3(1):14.
llllllllll lllllllllllllllll~lll 10856862(200107/08)6:4;1-D
16 . ACOG
CLINICAL
REVIEW
. July/August
2001
02001
by the American College of Obstetncnns and Gynecologists Published by Elsevier Science Inc 108568WO166.W
lished. We apologize to all of our readers for this s&ious error. It is amazing how moving a three-letter word can so significantly impact upon a position. That is the bad news. The good news is that at
least two of our Fellows are reading ACOG Clinical Review in a thorough fashion. Ralph W. Hale, MD Editor
By Bahman Payman, MD, FACOG EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a reader; response to the article that appeared in the Historical Perspective column of the March/April 2000 issue of ACOG ClinicalReview, ” ‘Rostam‘Is Born. How? By Cesarean Section. ” Readers are invited to submit letters to the Editor in response to articles, or submit new articles on some aspect of the histo y of women > health care for consideration forpublication in the Historical Perspective column. I was delighted to read the article “ ‘Rostam’ is born: How? By Cesarean Section,” written by Masood A. Khatamee, MD, in the ACOG Clinical Review, Volume 5, Issue 2, March/ April 2000. I was planning to submit a similar article but after reading the accurate and well-documented historical perspective by Dr. Khatamee, I would like to offer only my translation of Ferdowsi’s rhyming couplets on the birth of Rostam. Hakim Abolgasem Ferdowsi (940-1020 AD) was the author of Sbabnameb (The Book of Kings), which contains Persian myths, legends, and historic reminiscences that have lingered in the popular imagination about the country’s dynasties, kings, and heroes. Ferdowsi begins with the creation of the world to the fall of the last Persian-born dynasty of Sassanians at the Arab conquest in the seventh century. The manuscripts contain 60,000 rhyming
From
Trillium
Medical
Group
of Virginia,
couplets that are magnificently written. Not only is Ferdowsi a philosopher, historian, and poet, but he is also a great seer who was inspired to foretell of a time when there would be a world religion. 1. Rostam’s no time, Rudabeh
mother
got pregnant
was her name,
pale at time. 2. Carrying
at
becoming
so heavy inside causing
pressure and jaundice outside, Skin so stretched stony hard due to lion size baby inside. 3. Rudabeh explaining her prenatal period miserable with pain, Like “walking dead” she said with no hope but ail.
4. Towards the end of pregnancy Rudabeh
became
comatose
9. Paternal grandfather, Sam, admired the technique, and the unique grandson “Tahma”,** he calls saying no one heard or know this way of delivery for past century, and years to come. *Rastam means salvage; **Tahma means Hercules. After reading the poem, one realizes how accurate and precise Ferdowsi was 1000 years ago in sequencing and recording the procedure for the first time, namely anesthesia, surgery, antiseptic, and suturing. It was nearly 900 years later on October 16, 1846, at the Massachusetts General Hospital that the first anesthesia was administered. Therefore, I also propose that cesarean section should be known as “Rostamian section.”
with jaundice
in combination, Her mother Sindokht was on her bedside, Zal searching for miraculous so-
REFERENCES 1.
lution. 5. Zal (Rudabeh’s husband) desperately remembered the legendary bird “Si-
2.
morgh,” Got feather of the bird and burning it for the blessing from the Lord. 6. Zal, then inspired to put Rudabeh to sleep with wine, Calling high priest with dagger to slit
3.
Inc.,
Duff~eld, Virginia.
the goddess of beauty flank. 7. Making history Rostam
was born,
heavy, healthy newborn boy, After recovering from long ordeal, Rudabeh woke up with smile and joy. 8. Screaming Rudabeh: Free from pain, free from misery at last Rudabeh said “Rastam”;* Sterile wound care with plant derivative carried on by high priest advice, Rudabeh said “Rastam.”
4.
5. 6.
Ferdowsi HA. Shahnameh [Book of Kings]. Compiled by Parviz Atabaky. Tehran: National Iranian Library, 1999. Ferdowsi HA. The Epic oftheKings: Shahnama, The National Epic ofpersia. Translated by Reuben Levy. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1967. Ferdowsi HA. In the Dragon k Claws: The Story of Rostam and Esfandiyar. Translated, introduced, and annotated by Jerome W. Clinron. Washington, DC: Mage Publishers, 1999. Persian Heritage [serial online] 1999; 4(16):86. Available from: URL: http:// www.persian-heritage.com. Iranian American Medical Association (IAMA) 1993;1(1):17. Kass AM. Boston Lying-In Hospital: The early years. ACOG Clin Rev 1998;3(1):14.
llllllllll lllllllllllllllll~lll 10856862(200107/08)6:4;1-D
16 . ACOG
CLINICAL
REVIEW
. July/August
2001
02001
by the American College of Obstetncnns and Gynecologists Published by Elsevier Science Inc 108568WO166.W