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INTRODUCTION


In all branches of medicine the master word is _prophylaxis_, or
prevention, and its benefits are nowhere more strikingly illustrated
than in the practice of obstetrics. In former times every woman who
gave birth to a child or passed through a miscarriage was exposed to
grave danger of infection or child-bed fever; but at present--thanks
to the recognition of the bacterial origin of the disease and of its
identity with wound infection--this danger can be practically
eliminated by the rigid observance of surgical cleanliness and
aseptic technique. Physicians have also learned that the most
effective method of coping with other serious complications of
pregnancy and labor is by preventing their occurrence, or at least by
subjecting them to treatment in their earliest stages; for, if they
be allowed to go on to full development, the results are little
better than in times past. Furthermore, a careful examination some
weeks before the expected date of confinement enables us to recognize
the existence of abnormal presentations and of disproportion between
the size of the mother's pelvis and that of the child's head. Timely
recognition of such conditions makes appropriate treatment possible
and practically insures a successful outcome; while tardy recognition
is frequently followed by disastrous results.

These few examples give some idea of the benefits of prophylaxis in
the practice of obstetrics. Prospective mothers should understand not