Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Section President:
Section Secretary:
Section Council Members:
Representative on General Council:
The Section of Obstetrics was one of the original sections of the academy, established in 1882. The Section of Obstetrics replaced the Dublin Obstetrical Society. The Section of Obstetrics is governed by a council and President. The section holds a series of monthly meetings from October to May where members present obstetrical and gynaecological cases.
Here is the opening address from the first meeting of the Obstetrical Section held on Friday, 22nd December 1882:
President – John Denham, M.D.
Sectional Secretary – William C. Neville, M.D
Dr. Denham, after some preliminary observations, took for the subject of his inaugural address “The Progress made in Obstetric Medicine during the last fifty years,” selecting as the basis of his remarks a comparison of the Rotunda Hospital Reports of Drs. Collins and Shackleton with those recently published by Dr. George Johnston. Dr. Collins during his seven years Mastership had 16,414 deliveries, in which the crotchet was used 118 times and the forceps or vectis 27 times.
The number of deaths amounted to 164. Dr. Shackleton reported 13,748 deliveries, with the use of the perforator in 130 cases and of the forceps in 200 cases, and the loss of 163 patients. Dr. Johnston reported 8,908 deliveries; 28 craniotomy, 90 version, and 750 forceps cases. He lost altogether 169 patients. Commenting on these figures Dr. Denham observed that it was patent that by the more frequent use of the forceps in modern obstetrics much had been done for relief, without adding to the dangers of labour, and that great numbers of children were now delivered alive who under the old practice would have had to be destroyed. The beneficial results of the introduction of chloroform, the greater use of sea-tangle tents, the operation of ovariotomy, followed as it has been by so many new operative procedures, were briefly alluded to as having done much to bring gynecologists into the front ranks of bold and successful operators, and to break down the barrier which at one time existed between this and other branches of the profession.