Charles Delucena Meigs (February 19, 1792 – June 22, 1869) was an American obstetrician who worked as chair of obstetrics and diseases of women at Jefferson Medical College from 1841 to 1861. He worked as editor of The North American Medical and Surgical Journal and published multiple papers and books on various topics in obstetrics including thrombosis as a cause of sudden death in women during childbirth, diseases of the cervix and postpartum infections. He was a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and served as president from 1845 to 1855.
He was opposed to two of the major obstetrical advances of the 19th century. He advocated against the usage of anesthesia during childbirth due to concerns that it would interfere with uterine contractions. He also argued against the ability of postpartum infections to be spread by the hands of physicians.
Meigs returned to Georgia for a brief time to practice medicine, however his wife insisted they return to Philadelphia due to her disgust at the harsh treatment of enslaved people in that state.[3]
In 1826, he worked as an editor for The North American Medical and Surgical Journal and in 1838, published his own book, Philadelphia Practice of Midwifery.[2]
Meigs specialized in obstetrics and focused his research on the study of thrombosis as a cause of sudden death in women during childbirth.[2] He also published papers on diseases of the cervix and child-bed fever.[4] He was a fellow in the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and served as president from 1845 to 1855.[2]
He held strong religious convictions and was described as having a "lofty belief that he had become a ministering spirit endowed with almost apostolic powers for those who placed themselves under his care".[4]
He was active as a translator from French. He translated and published Alfred-Armand-Louis-Marie Velpeau's Elementary Treatise on Midwifery.[2] His translation of Gobineau's Typhaines Abbey was published in 1869.[5] He studied German and became proficient enough to read the papers of important German obstetricians.[2]
In 1832, Meigs received a silver pitcher from the Philadelphia City Council in recognition for his role in treating the cholera epidemic that hit the city.[7]
Meigs applied for the chair of midwifery at the University of Pennsylvania after the retirement of William Potts Dewees, but lost out to another candidate.[8] In 1841, he became chair of obstetrics and diseases of women [9]atJefferson Medical College,[10] until his retirement in 1861.[1] He was incorrect in his views on two of the major advances in obstetrics in the 19th century, the usage of anesthesia and sanitary practices to prevent the transmission of postpartum infections.[4]
He was an opposed to the usage of anesthesia on patients, especially in obstetrics. It was a widely held belief at the time that anesthesia would interfere with uterine contractions during birth. He believed that labor pains were "a most desireable, salutory and conservative manifestation of the life force".[11] In 1856, he warned against the morally "doubtful nature of any process that the physicians set up to contravene the operations of those natural and physiological forces that the Divinity has ordained us to enjoy or to suffer".[11]
He vehemently disagreed with Oliver Wendell-Holmes Sr. that puerperal fever was contagious[4] and could be spread by physicians from patient to patient. He wrote in his publication "On The Nature, Signs, and Treatment of Childbed Fevers" and stated, "Doctors are gentlemen and gentlemen's hands are clean".[12]
These beliefs resulted in his treatment of multiple women throughout the day without washing equipment or his hands between patients. He was known to wear the same medical frock all day no matter how soiled it became.[13]
In the TED-Ed animated web video series, "The Demon of Reason," the Demon confronts Dr. Meigs back in time about how his conclusion that inflammation caused childbed fever is based on the False Cause Fallacy in the confused assumption about how correlation equals causation, without considering other facts or logical possibilities in that medical situation.[18]
Media related to Charles Delucena Meigs at Wikimedia Commons
