Sex efficiency through exercises : special physical culture for women / by Th. H. van de Velde ; [photos, by E. Steinemann].
119/426
78 (canvas 120)
The image contains the following text:
sometimes carried out during ancBsthesia, and thus the
woman's co-operation is excluded. But there are also many
cases in which anaesthesia is contraindicated for a variety of
reasons, or even unavailable. And if there is a simultaneous
lack of trained assistance, then indeed, the life of the baby
and the future welfare of the mother—her health, her power
to work and her sexual efficiency, even her life itself—may
all depend on her power to co-operate, to help the process
she is undergoing, rather than attempt to hinder it. On
these grounds alone, both medical practitioners, who take
obstetric cases, and, in especial, midwives and maternity
nurses (who often have to work under the greatest difficulties
and without any expert co-operation) should advocate the
general practice of pelvic exercises among women in order
that those whom they work for may, at need, help them-
selves.
Watcher's suspension attitude may even help the progress
of parturition, by itself alone, without change to flexion and
without further manipulations, where it is necessary to
counterbalance a slight inadequacy of the upper pelvic
circumference or an unfavourable position of the head. In
such cases, the patient may be placed on the edge of a bed
or couch (which should not be either very low or very soft!) so
that her legs hang down and only touch the ground with the
toes. But it is necessary to take care that this (suspension)
attitude should only be taken during the contraction of the womb
(actual pains). In the intervals between these paroxysms
the feet should be supported on footstools or low chairs.
Even with this modification " suspension " is quite un-
comfortable for a woman who has no previous experience of
(or association with) it. Accordingly, far too little use is
made of it in our obstetric practice ! Another main reason
for preparation and practice on the lines of Film No. 12.
Modern obstetric practice is not the originator of modifica-
tions in pelvic posture during birth. This has been proved
both in social history and ethnology and on Plate IX.
(Figs, a to d) some illustrative material relevant to these
customs has been reproduced They offer striking confirma-