Numa Pompilius
established the first law, which was called "les regia," and in
later times there were many such ordinances. A full description
of these laws is on record. Life was believed possible after a
gestation of six months or over, and, as stated, some famous men
were supposed to have been born in this manner. Francois de
Civile, who on great occasions signed himself "trois fois enterre
et trois fois par le grace de Dieu ressucite," saw the light of
the world by a happy Cesarean operation on his exhumed mother.
Fabricius Hildanus and Boarton report similar instances. Bourton
cites among others the case of an infant who was found living
twelve hours after the death of his mother. Dufour and Mauriceau
are two older French medical writers who discuss this subject.
Flajani speaks of a case in which a child was delivered at the
death of its mother, and some of the older Italian writers
discuss the advisability of the operation in the moribund state
before death actually ensues. Heister writes of the delivery of
the child after the death of the mother by opening the abdomen
and uterus
Harris relates several interesting examples. In Peru in 1794 a
Sambi woman was killed by lightning, and the next day the abdomen
was opened by official command and a living child was extracted.
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