Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Obstetrics

  • The el-Lahun gynecological papyrus

    Chinmoy Bose Kolkata, India The Kahun Gynecological Papyrus (Twelfth Dynasty 1800 BC)1-3 is the oldest available medical record of Egyptian civilization, a three page document one meter long and about thirty-three cm wide that deals with gynecological diseases, fertility, pregnancy, and contraception. The name Amenemhet III was written in the right upper corner behind third page…

  • Alexander Gordon and puerperal fever

    C. John ScottAberdeen, Scotland The epidemic of childbed (puerperal) fever that struck the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, between December 1789 and March 1792 was unusual. It occurred not in the dirty, crowded, and ill-ventilated wards of lying-in hospitals, but throughout the city and surrounding villages. Serendipitously, one doctor cared for most of the patients. This…