Difficult Deliveries

“By the close of the decade, surgeons had several options to resolve difficult deliveries: they could use forceps in the hopes of extracting a living child, or destroy the child by craniotomy. The cesarean and Porro operations [surgical removal of entire uterus and accessories] represented alternatives for only the most skilled operators (J. Ryan, 473). . . . In 1879, “Evidence suggests that success in the cesarean operation remained beyond the reach of most physicians due to their lack of education and surgical skill” (478).