The secret method ultimately remained with the family for another century and the instruments unseen until their discovery under the floorboards of Peter’s son’s house in 1813. The two male midwives were so maligned, however, and so obsessed with the secrecy of their invention that before employing the forceps they would make all attendees leave the room and blindfold the laboring woman before applying them. Invented by the two Chamberlen brothers (Peter the Elder and Peter the Younger) in the 1600s, the timing was particularly fortuitous because malnourishment, rickets and thus pelvic dystocia were on the rise. History The history of the obstetric forceps is one of the more theatrical tales in medical literature. It is these latter deliveries – forceps-assisted vaginal deliveries – which will be the focus of this article. While approximately 10% of deliveries were performed via operative delivery in the 1990s, the most recent National Vital Statistics Survey shows a 2.58% rate for vacuum deliveries and 0.56% for forceps deliveries. 2 Despite this, the overall trend for operative deliveries has shown a dramatic decline. 1 The top two reasons for cesarean delivery – labor dystocia and abnormal or indeterminate fetal heart rate tracings – can both potentially be resolved by operative vaginal delivery. Notably, 2017 was the first year the cesarean delivery rate increased since 2009, suggesting an even greater urgency in focusing on tools to reduce it. It can reduce the need for cesarean deliveries, an important goal of both our specialty nationwide and of individual providers and patients. Operative vaginal delivery remains an important skill for obstetricians to provide the full spectrum of care for pregnant patients.
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