Early female surgeon advocates anaesthesia during labour. First edition of this important book on the use of 'twilight sleep' anaesthesia during labour by the female surgeon who pioneered its use in the United States. Rare, with WorldCat listing only electronic copies, and only one copy appearing in auction records (Bonhams 2020).

Born into a Michigan farming family, Bertha van Hoosen (1863-1952) insisted on a medical education despite her parents' active opposition, and put herself through school by working as a teacher, obstetrical nurse, and demonstrator in anatomy. After graduating she opened a private practice and taught clinical gynaecology at the Illinois University Medical School. In 1918 Van Hoosen became the first woman to run a medical division at a coeducational university when she was appointed head of obstetrics at Loyola. She was a founding member and the first president of the American Medical Women's Association, and advocated for women physicians to serve in the First World War.

'Throughout her career, Bertha van Hoosen's major interest was in women's health. She was an excellent general surgeon, but she was particularly concerned with women and children. She pioneered the use of scopolamine-morphine anaesthesia for childbirth. Although this method, known as twilight sleep, had become popular in Germany, it was not used in the United States. She produced a book and two articles on her research in this area' (Ogilvie, Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science p. 1320).

First edition, first printing; tipped-in photographic frontispiece and 8 plates from photographs, pencilled notes to the contents list, remnants of a bookplate on the front pastedown, abrasions on the rear pastedown from removal of card pocket; original brown cloth, titles to spine and upper board in black, cloth a litttle rubbed and marked with a small knock to the edge of the lower board and a scuff affecting the same, contents clean, a very good copy; 216pp.