Cesarean Section Day – January 14, 2027

History of Cesarean Section Day

The story behind the first C-section performed is an interesting one. The year was 1794. Elizabeth, the wife of American physician Dr. Jesse Bennett, was in labor, and Dr. Humphrey and Dr. Jesse himself were the only two doctors to attend to her. Elizabeth had been in labor for several hours, and the delivery became riskier as time went on. The doctors realized that C-section was the only option they had. This was a time when the C-section had never been performed and Dr. Humphrey was skeptical about this. He believed that carrying a C-section delivery meant certain death of the mother and the child. An argument followed between the two and Dr. Humphrey left Dr. Jesse Bennett’s house.

Dr. Jesse, Elizabeth, and a few maids and domestic help were the only few people left in the house with a daunting challenge staring at them. Dr. Jesse mustered the courage and decided to perform the C-section himself. He did not have proper medical apparatus and equipment at home to perform the delivery and had homemade instruments only. He quickly assembled planks supported by barrels, to make the operation table. A candle was lit to serve as the guiding light. Laudanum, which is a tincture of opium, was used as an anesthetic.

The operation began. Dr. Jesse confidently made a precise cut on his wife and cut open her abdomen. He then removed his daughter from her mother’s womb and cut off the umbilical cord. It is said that Dr. Jesse then proceeded to take out Elizabeth’s ovaries, justifying that he didn’t want to have such an experience again. Miraculously, both the mother and the child survived. The daughter was named Maria.

It is believed that Dr. Jesse never disclosed the details of the crude C-section performed in his barn. He felt that no one would believe him, or worse, they would call him a liar. It was much later, after Dr. Jesse’s death, that Dr. A.L. Night, who was a young boy when Dr. Jesse performed the C-section, assembled eye-witnesses of the C-section delivery and made a detailed report of the incident. And thus, the world came to know about the story of the bravery shown by both Elizabeth and her husband in times of crisis. Cesarean Section Day was created to honor this legendary couple and celebrate the advancement in medical history that helps save millions of mothers and infants every year.