An early caesarean operation (1800) performed by John and Charles Bell

An articulated skeleton in the Bell Collection in the Museum of the Edinburgh College of Surgeons is of a woman who died shortly after a Caesarean section, believed to be the 18th recorded case of such an operation performed in the UK and Ireland. The fact that John and Charles Bell were the surgeons involved is of particular interest, due to their importance in the practice of surgery and surgical anatomy in Edinburgh during the early part of the 19th century. The woman had a restricted pelvic inlet and outlet resulting from puerperal osteomalacia, the commonest indication for carrying out this operation during the 18th and 19th centuries. Evidence from the examination of contemporary parish baptism and burial records, as well as meteorological records, established that the Caesarean operation was performed on 29 January 1800. The surviving child was subsequently baptized 'Caesar', in accordance with the common practice at that time.