CESAREAN HYSTERECTOMY AT THE CHICAGO LYING-IN HOSPITAL

The mortality for cesarean hysterectomy at this hospital was reported¹ in 1945 to be 1.04 per cent and for cesarean section to be 0.61 per cent. Ninety-six cesarean hysterectomies with 1 death were mentioned in the report, and the statement was made that hysterectomy is the operation of choice in infected or potentially infected patients. There have been reports from several clinics advocating extraperitoneal section instead of cesarean hysterectomy in the treatment of infected or potentially infected patients. Cosgrove and Waters,² reporting from the Margaret Hague Hospital, had the largest series of extraperitoneal sections and had excellent results in the type of case under discussion. They maintained that hysterectomy in such seriously ill patients is a formidable procedure and its immediate mortality must be high. They pointed out that of the 96 cesarean hysterectomies reported by Dieckmann not all were performed for infection but some were undoubtedly elective