In Other Journals

A 40-year-old multiparous woman, with a previous obstetric history of death- in-utero, took drastic action when she found herself unable to deliver her ninth pregnancy vaginally at home, say the mostly Mexican authors of a case report. After taking three glasses of “hard liquor”, the woman used a kitchen knife in three attempts to slice her abdomen in the right paramedial region and cut her uterus longitudinally to deliver a male infant. Another of her children summoned help; a local nurse arrived to find the mother unconscious and eviscerated. The woman survived the ordeal, which included an 8-hour car trip to the nearest hospital and two exploratory laparotomies, as did her infant. The family live in a small village deprived of running water, electricity and sanitation, as well as prenatal care.