PAINLESS CHILD-BIRTH

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 81, 5 April 1916, Page 2

PAINLESS CHILD-BIRTH

A SPECIFIC ABANDONED. About twelve months ago, Mr Black, Chief Secretary and Minister for Public Health in New South Wales, received information from Paris that a new specific known as "Ttcanalgine" had been discovered which would secure to women painless* child-birth, without evil consequence* to the child, and which at the same time- so differed from previous j

accelerate rather than oelay the operations of Nature. The first clinical "experiments gave the happiest results, there having been an absence of labor pains, while the child was in "a state of suspended ■ animation, but with a rapid recuperation of normal respiration. Further inquiries by leading French 'doctor®, however, showed that while "Tbcanalgine" was thoroughly successful sofar as \yomen were concerned, it didl. not confer a corresponding immunity upon the children. In a great manycases children were only saved by theuse of artificial respiration, and in. sonve cases that quite failed after continued application during many ■ hours. "I had deferred action with re-' gard to the use- of this anodyne," stated Mr Black, recently, "until I! had obtained further information from- the Parisian . surgeons, with whom the Department of Health hasbeen in communication. Isfpw, however, I have abandoned' all idea of; 1 using cr even experimenting with this specific." At the same time, he wasstill of opinion that some later scientists may discover some efficacious drug- . ' •