Samuel Lurie, MD
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Edith Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Series: Obstetrics and Gynecology Advances, Surgery – Procedures, Complications, and Results
BISAC: MED033000

The fascinating issue of operative opening of the uterus and delivering the fetus known today as cesarean section has intrigued humankind for ages. This book is the most comprehensive text on the fascinating history of cesarean section. It includes the origin of the eponym and describes many myths from ancient Greek, Roman, Persian and medieval cultures. The first documents regarding cesarean delivery arise in ancient legal texts: a cuneiform tablet dealing with the adoption of a small boy during the 23rd year of the renowned King Hammurabi of Babylon (1795-1750 BC), “Lex Regia” proclaimed by Numa Pompilius, an ancient Roman King (716-673 BC), and Mishna, the collection of ancient Jewish laws (2nd century BC – 6th century AD).

The book includes a description of the oldest known drawing of a cesarean section that appears in the 1307 AD version of the book “Al-Athár-ul- Bákiya” by Albiruni. The book focuses on the debate about the definite perception of cesarean delivery that had at several times reached culminate conflicts, as in the medieval period, during the 18th century, during the 19th century and at the 20th-21st centuries. In medieval times, two contrasting categories of cesarean birth were described: saintly obstetrical miracles and satanic depiction of Antichrist birth. Saintly and satanic cesarean birth had different results, while the former were instruments of salvation, the latter delivered evil and damnation. Hence, without formal confrontation one with each other in medieval times, these two contrasting categories of cesarean section initiated a never ending debate on whether a cesarean should or should not be performed in its various forms.

Towards the end of the 20th century, a new issue about cesarean section became controversial; maternal-choice cesarean without a medical justification. Although, cesarean section on maternal request is a complex issue, it seems that those in favor of allowing women to have a maternal-choice cesarean section prevail over those against it in this round. Finally, the book focuses on physicians who had changed the history of cesarean section: François Rousset (1530-1603) who had a vision on performing cesarean section on living women, Max Sanger (1853-1903) who introduced uterine sutures, John Martin Munro Kerr (1868-1960) who introduced the transverse lower uterine segment incision, and Edwin Bradford Craigin (1859-1918) with his dictum: “once a Cesarean always a Cesarean”. (Imprint: Nova Biomedical )