TY - JOUR
T1 - The antibiotic transformation of Danish obstetrics. The hidden links between the decline in perinatal mortality and maternal mortality in the mid-twentieth century
AU - Løkke, Anne
PY - 2012/12/1
Y1 - 2012/12/1
N2 - The great transnational decline in perinatal mortality in the late 1930s and early 1940s is hitherto not fully understood. This study demonstrates, that in Denmark antibiotics were a key factor that worked via two different indirect processes: 1) By accelerating the cohort effect in women's health by curing non-obstetric infections 2) By prompting a change in the obstetricians' strategy in deliveries complicated by placenta prævia, placental abruption, eclampsia, contracted pelvis and prolapsed umbilical cord, as antibiotics allowed more invasive interventions to save the fetus without increasing maternal mortality due to puerperal fever. Restricting this strategy to the pathological deliveries was important because invasive interventions were still much more risky for mother and fetus than a vaginal delivery, attended by a skilled midwife for all potential normal births.
AB - The great transnational decline in perinatal mortality in the late 1930s and early 1940s is hitherto not fully understood. This study demonstrates, that in Denmark antibiotics were a key factor that worked via two different indirect processes: 1) By accelerating the cohort effect in women's health by curing non-obstetric infections 2) By prompting a change in the obstetricians' strategy in deliveries complicated by placenta prævia, placental abruption, eclampsia, contracted pelvis and prolapsed umbilical cord, as antibiotics allowed more invasive interventions to save the fetus without increasing maternal mortality due to puerperal fever. Restricting this strategy to the pathological deliveries was important because invasive interventions were still much more risky for mother and fetus than a vaginal delivery, attended by a skilled midwife for all potential normal births.
KW - Faculty of Humanities
KW - mødredødelighed, perinatal dødelighed, perinatal mortalitet, Danmark 1900-tallet
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0066-2062
VL - 2012
SP - 205
EP - 224
JO - Annales de Demographie Historique
JF - Annales de Demographie Historique
IS - 1
ER -
