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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: C-sections new?
Message-ID: <994@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 13-Jul-86 19:01:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.994
Posted: Sun Jul 13 19:01:55 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Jul-86 02:53:41 EDT
References: <684@bu-cs.UUCP> <927@mmm.UUCP> <262@dmcnh.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 28
Summary: surgery

In article <262@dmcnh.UUCP>, mark@dmcnh.UUCP (Mark Roddy) writes:
> > 
> > advances made just in the last two centuries.  C-sections are a RECENT
> > development.  
> > 
> I think a fellow named Julius Caesar was born via C-section quite a bit
> longer than two centuries ago, and I don't think that the technique was
> invented just for him. Cesarians are indeed one of the oldest surgical
> techniques. 
In the absence of disinfectants to prevent infection, and anesthetics
to prevent shock, most surgical procedures are gambles against very
very long odds.  In particular I am under the impression that C-sections
were performed to save the baby after it had become clear that the mother
was going to die regardless.
> 
> The greatest advance in medical technology has actually been simple sanitary
> practices, i.e. separation of sewage from drinking water, not gadgetry.
> Sanitation requires no advanced technology whatsoever.

I am not sure what you mean by advanced technology, but providing clean
and plentiful water for urban populations is a major technological
achievement.
-- 
"More Astronomy                Ethan Vishniac
 Less Sodomy"                  {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
  - from a poster seen         ethan@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU
    at an airport              Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas