Obstetrical Phantom

OBSTETRICAL PHANTOM, a visual teaching aid for instructing in obstetrics, primarily the course and mechanism of labor and obstetrical operations. In its simplest form, the obstetrical phantom consists of a female bony pelvis and the skeletonized head of a full-term fetus. Usually, however, an obstetrical phantom is understood to mean a pelvis mounted in something resembling the lower half of the female torso with the upper halves of the thighs, and a "doll" representing a full-term fetus. These obstetrical phantoms are prepared from a wide variety of materials, ranging from wood to specially treated cadavers; the same applies to the "dolls." The obstetrical phantom was first used for teaching as early as the late 17th century by the Swedish obstetrician Hoorn, who described it in his textbook. This same textbook was the first educational book on obstetrics in the Russian language ("Povivalnaya babka", Moscow, 1764). The invention of the obstetrical phantom significantly simplified and improved the teaching of obstetrics, and already in the 18th century, a whole series of models of this visual aid appeared. The obstetrical phantom also contributed to the theoretical elaboration of certain obstetrical questions, such as the theory of the mechanism of the birth act. In the first half of the 19th century, the fascination with obstetrical phantoms reached the point where complex birthing machines were built depicting a woman in labor, with the birth occurring via a complex clockwork mechanism. The French physician and mechanic Auzoux was especially famous for constructing such obstetrical phantoms. One machine built by him was presented to the obstetrical clinic of Moscow University, where its fragments are still preserved. Naturally, with the development of clinical teaching in obstetrics, the significance of the obstetrical phantom has changed, but even now it is impossible to dispense with a phantom course in teaching obstetrics. Usually, obstetrical phantoms are used to demonstrate various fetal positions and presentations; furthermore, the teaching of the mechanism of labor both in normal and pathological conditions is greatly facilitated, and finally, with the help of the obstetrical phantom, certain obstetrical operations and maneuvers are demonstrated and performed, namely: manual aid, extraction by the pelvic end, version, application of forceps, and embryotomy operations. Attempts to construct special obstetrical phantoms for teaching the manual removal of the placenta and gynecological examination have not yielded sufficiently satisfactory results. One can become acquainted with modern models of obstetrical phantoms through the catalogs of relevant firms, but it must be said that even the simplest and least expensive phantoms are entirely suitable.