Since Sir James Simpson first made use of chloroform for the relief of pain in parturition, the lessening of suffering in delivery has been a subject of continual interest. Many methods of anesthesia and analgesia have appeared. Usually, when a new method of pain relief has been devised, there has been criticism of both its efficiency and its safety. Simpson himself met his full share of this. Today, the employment of some method for relief of pain in obstetric practice is generally accepted, although difference of opinion may be found as to the procedures to be used.
The authors of this book, which now appears in its third edition, have brought together a large amount of information, indeed, about all that is of real value, in the field of obstetric anesthesia and analgesia. While they are enthusiastic proponents of the use of caudal anesthesia, they cover the entire field of