Twilight Sleep in America Author:A. Smith Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER 4. Twilight Sleep—Pro And Con. A well known obstetrician speaking before a large audience was asked as to the dangers of Twilight Sleep. He answere... more »d: "I have been asked to discuss the dangers of Twilight Sleep, but I cannot do that for I know none. There should be no danger when competent physicians and nurses are employed. All drugs contain poison, but I have not seen a single untoward symptom in any of more than 250 cases with which I have had experience.'' This, from an authority, is true of other workers. What are the objections to Twilight Sleep? I will not discuss whether God intended women to suffer during childbirth. Science does not deal with the sentimental. It treats of facts. Suffice to impress the fact that there are some women who suffer little or no pain during their delivery. This is also true, as a rule, among the women of savage tribes, as we have learned. If God decreed that women should bear their offspring with pain, why are certain women excluded from this general rule? Civilization, not nature, through the evolution of long periods of time has changed women from simple into complex beings. And with this change pain has become a factor in labor cases. It is dangerous to the mother. A common objection. A man with a broken leg is suffering great pain. The doctor in charge gives the patient a dose of morphine. The pain is lessened. Where is the danger? In an over dose? Naturally. The same is true of the drugs used to produce the state known as Twilight Sleep. Give too little and there is no effect. Give too much and the patient and baby may be placed in a dangerous condition. Therefore if used by a competent physician this danger is overcome. It is dangerous to the baby: A most serious objection. As a matter of fact the record...« less