A hundred years of induction of labour methods

Induction of labour is the process of artificially initiating labour in order to end a pregnancy. We sought to explore changes in practice as documented in 'Ten Teachers', an undergraduate textbook that was first published in 1917 and is now in its 19th edition.

The description of labour induction methods from each edition were described and tabulated.

Historically, the dangers of induction meant that it was only conducted in the event of life-threatening maternal disease. However, with improved methods, the threshold for intervention has reduced and it is now one of the most common interventions in pregnancy. Induction methods have changed over the last century from vaginal caesarean section, castor oil and De Ribes' bag at the start of the century to prostaglandins and oxytocin today.

Techniques for labour induction have changed markedly over the last century.