Fever puerpérale

The fever puerpérale (of the Latin puer , child ) is an infectious illness, which occurs after a Accouchement or a miscarriage, especially if the expulsion of the Placenta were not complète.

This infection is caused by Bactérie S which penetrate in the Utérus, then gain the Péritoine and other abdominal bodies; it is accompanied by strong a Fièvre and in the absence of an effective cure evolves in the majority of the cases in a few weeks to a Septicémie mortal. At surviving sterility séquellaire is often observed.

Historic insight

In the traditional childbirth, such as it was practiced during centuries (birth at the house and assumption of responsibility by midwives), the fever puerpérale was relatively rare. It is only when one founded in the European big cities of the maternity homes (for example the Hôtel-Dieu of Paris to the XVIIe century) and that the childbirth was practiced by doctors, that the fever puerpérale became a complication frequent and dreaded. It is above all because the doctors were in contact with other patients and corpses and that one was unaware of the need for an effective disinfection: they thus transported on their hands and their instruments of the germs which penetrated in the genital ways of the women. In certain establishments it happened sometimes that two thirds of the women in labor died of this infection.

It is the English doctor Thomas Willis which with the XVIIe century gave its name to the fever puerpérale.

In 1795, Alexander Gordon of Aberdeen suggested that the fevers were the result of infectious process, and it was able to cure them, but it ran up against the incomprehension of its confrères.
In its turn, in the middle of the XIXe century Ignaz Semmelweis showed that it was necessary to accuse the bad conditions of Hygiène (in particular in the hospitals) as well as the lack of cleanliness of the doctors and the absence of disinfection. It described with precision the evolution of the disease. The women reached suffer initially from an high fever, with an intense thirst. Then the pulse weakens all while accelerating. A few days later appear on the skin of the spots of a purplished blue. The autopsy shows a general ignition of the bodies with everywhere of the purulent hearths. He also saw its conclusions turned into ridiculous and rejected by the Establishment médical.
In 1879 Pasteur establishes the presence of the Streptocoque in the blood of the women reached of fever puerpérale. Its ideas ended up carrying it and, with the turning of the century, the antisepsy had gained cause.

Today the infections of the Post-partum are treated effectively with Antibiotique S.

List famous women deceased of fever puerpérale

See too

References

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