["Born from the flank"--discussion concerning "cesarean section" in animals in the Talmud]

The origins of the performance of Caesarean section on living animals are not established. In the Talmud, the term "jose dofèn" (delivered by way of the flank, or delivered through the lateral abdominal wall) is mentioned several times, referring specifically to the performance of Caesarean section. The 7th century Babylonian Talmud however has the tracts Bechoroth (Firstlings) and Chullin (About profane slaughter). The biblical background can be found in Exodus 13,2, where The Lord speaks to Moses: "Declare the first-born of man and beast to be holy to God". This Commandment is discussed at length in the Talmud, where two references to unnatural delivery are to be found. The first, how to evaluate a live, or dead, foetus that is found during the ritual slaughter of a healthy animal, or on the emergency slaughter of a fatally injured animal, that has to be cut out by incisions through the abdominal wall and the uterus (cf. Digest. XI, 8, 2 of Justinian). The second, how to evaluate a foetus that has to be delivered by embryotomy as a consequence of dystocia. It is believed that, contrary to previous opinions in the History of Veterinary Medicine, there is no evidence of the performance of Caesarean section on living animals in the Talmud.