While many people think of a cesarean section as a fairly modern medical innovation, depictions of C-sections can be found in Greek mythology, ancient Chinese art, and folklore from across the globe.
The procedure is hundreds of years old. Its name comes from the Roman term Caesar, derived from the Latin caedere, meaning “to cut,” rather than from Julius Caesar, as commonly believed. But it wasn't until relatively recently that it became a safe, effective way to prevent birth injuries like cerebral palsy.
Many birth injuries are caused by medical errors, like failing to order a C-section when needed. If your child was injured at birth, contact Sokolove Law now to see if we may be able to pursue compensation for your family.
For most of its history, doctors only performed a C-section when the mother was likely to die, or deceased already, as a last resort to save the baby.
Here in America, that began to change on this day, January 14, 1794, in a log cabin in the woods of Rockingham County, Virginia. Jesse Bennett, a man who some historians believe studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, was pressed into action when his wife Elizabeth’s baby would not come.
After trying and failing to deliver the infant via forceps, Jesse and the attending doctor, Alexander Humphreys, disagreed on the best course of action. Dr. Humphreys refused to attempt a C-section because the mother rarely survived. Jesse, undeterred, proceeded without him.
C-Section by Candlelight
Jesse, his sister-in-law Nancy Hawkins, and his servants laid a set of planks across a pair of barrels to form a makeshift operating table. Jesse then gave Elizabeth a heavy dose of laudanum, a powerful opiate, to knock her out.
With Nancy holding a candle to light the procedure, Jesse used a knife to widen the opening in Elizabeth’s uterus and withdraw the baby, a girl. He then removed the placenta and the ovaries, so his wife could not become pregnant again. Jesse sewed Elizabeth up with a heavy linen thread typically reserved for making clothes.
Miraculously, both Elizabeth and her daughter, Maria, survived. According to historian Dorothy Poling, Jesse wrote in his journal that Elizabeth was up and walking again a month after the delivery, and fully healed two weeks after that. She would go on to live another 42 years.
Misplaced Credit
Jesse never reported the C-section to any medical journals, perhaps because he thought they would doubt the veracity of his claims, considering the less-than-sterile conditions under which he’d carried out the procedure.
So when an Ohio man named John Lambert Richmond successfully performed a cesarean section in 1827 and did report it to the medical community, he was hailed as an obstetric pioneer (and in some circles, still is).
It wasn’t until nearly 100 years after Elizabeth Bennett’s C-section that Jesse Bennett’s breakthrough came to light.
At some point, neighbor Aquila Leighton Knight had interviewed Nancy and the servants who had assisted with the procedure, taking copious notes.
Knight then wrote a biography of Jesse Bennett, “The Life and Times of Dr. Jesse Bennett, M.D.,” which The Southern Historical Magazine published in 1892, 50 years after Jesse’s death.
The Perils of Not Performing a C-Section
Today, C-sections make up almost one-third of births in the U.S., and the mortality rate is only 5.8-6.1 per 100,000 operations. Unfortunately, there are still many instances when a doctor should perform a C-section but doesn’t, and birth injuries occur as a result.
If a C-section is delayed or denied, babies may be harmed due to a lack of oxygen while trapped in the birth canal or by physical trauma caused by the improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors.
Injuries from a delayed or denied C-section may include:
- Brain bleeds
- Brain damage
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy and other brachial plexus injuries
- Facial nerve injuries
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Seizures
- Skull fractures
Many birth injuries are preventable. In some cases, they may occur when a health care provider fails to recognize warning signs of a difficult vaginal delivery, like the baby's size or a mother's history of shoulder dystocia in previous births.
C-section deliveries lower the risk of brachial plexus injuries for all babies, particularly among those with higher birth weights, according to the National Library of Medicine.
If your child was harmed during delivery, medical negligence could be to blame. You may be eligible for compensation that can help pay for your child’s medical expenses, therapies, and long-term care.
Help for Families Affected by Birth Injuries
As a national birth injury law firm, Sokolove Law can help families in all 50 states seek justice and compensation for injuries suffered before, during, or shortly after birth.
We have on-staff nurses with decades of labor and delivery experience who can help you determine if medical negligence or malpractice may have played a role in your child’s injury.
"There are still things that are occurring that should not be occurring and people are being hurt as a result. So, it's my opportunity to help."
– Andi Lowe, Registered Nurse at Sokolove Law
To date, our birth injury lawyers have secured over $1 Billion for families nationwide, including those affected by delayed or denied C-sections.
Call (800) 995-1212 now or fill out our contact form to get started with a free, no-obligation case review.
