SAVED BY SCIENCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 804, 26 October 1929, Page 32

SAVED BY SCIENCE

MOTHER AND TRIPLETS ALL WELL CAESAREAN OPERATION A trio (ft young Tasmanians was j born recently in circumstances which are unique in medical annals. Dr. V. R. Ratten, of Hobart Public Hospital, succeeded in saving both mother and triplets by the operation | known as Caesarean Section. So far as is known no other such case Is on | record. Mrs. Freeman, the proud mother of the triplets, went into hospital as an urgent case and Dr. Ratten operated with the help of Drs. Carruthers and Gaha. The babies weighed <ht birth 51b 13Joz. 51b £»oz, and 41b 13£oz. The two first are exceptionally healthy and the third, though small, seems full of life. Till recently the Caesarean operation (which derives its name from the fact that Julius Caesar was born thus, the mother dying) was only used to save the child’s life when the mother’s condition was hopeless. Nowadays it is quite common to save both. Dr. Ratten is an expert in its technique, having performed the operation IS3 times. He has also disproved the theory that the operation can only be performed once on a patient, one patient at Hobart having successfully undergone the operation four times. Mrs. Freeman, the mother of the triplets, is 30 years old, and already had seven children —all singles.