Thomas Clifford Allbutt

“ It was observed that this rate of mortality prevailed in the students’ clinic; in the midwives’ clinic it ruled much lower. Semmelweis found no satisfactory explanation of this mortality in such causes as overcrowding, fear, mysterious atmospheric influences or even contaminated wards; yet that the cause lay in some local conditions he felt certain. The patients would die in rows, others escaping; and women delivering before arrival, or prematurely, would escape. ”

“ In Klein’s time the deaths in this department from what was then known as “puerperal fever” became portentous, the ratio being rarely under 5·03 and sometimes exceeding 7·45%. Between October 1841 and May 1843, of 5139 parturient women 829 died; giving the terrible death-rate of 16%, not counting those of patients transferred to other wards. ”