Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1281

MARIE ANNE VICTOIRE BOIVIN (NéE GILLAIN) (1773-1841) Recherches sur une des causes les plus frequentes et la moins connue de l'avortement; suivies d'un mémoire sur l'intro-pelvimètre, ou mensurateur interne du bassin. Chez J.-B. Baillière 1828 [6] 212 [1] pp., fold. plate. 20.2 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 1278

The purpose of this work, on the most frequent and least known causes of miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, was to counter the arguments of those who believed that pregnancies, miscarriages, and difficult labors were the chief causes of uterine diseases. Boivin's contrary opinion was that diseases of the uterus and other genital organs were the most frequent causes of miscarriage and premature labor. She presents a series of twenty-seven case histories to support her position and concludes with some twenty-two conclusions derived from her experience. Included among the cases are instances in which diseases of the ovaries had been mistaken for pregnancy, as well as a discussion based on a review of the literature of ovarian surgery. Also included in the book is a description of a pelvimeter designed by Boivin. She believed that use of her instrument would allow greater accuracy of measurement because one arm of the device is inserted into the rectum where it rests upon the base of the spine.

See Related Record(s): 1280