Smellie

Smellie William (William Smellie, 1697-1763), one of the greatest obstetricians of the 18th century, by nationality a Scot. S. apparently did not receive systematic medical education in a school, but acquired his knowledge by being an apprentice to private practicing physicians. The first 20 years of his independent medical practice S. spent in the provinces, particularly in the city of Glasgow. He engaged in all medical specialties, but devoted himself especially to obstetric practice. Realizing the insufficiency of his education, S. in his mature years went to London for the purpose of improvement, but, according to his own admission, did not find there what he was looking for. Then he went to Paris and here acquired the knowledge and skills which he could not obtain in London. From Paris he brought back obstetrical forceps which had just appeared at that time. Returning to England, S. settled in London and here soon became famous both as an obstetrician and as a teacher. S. was one of the first to begin the teaching on the mechanism of the act of birth; he noted the characteristic deviations from the normal mechanism in narrow pelves; he taught to assess the narrowing of the pelvis by measuring the diagonal conjugate; he constructed new models of forceps; he invented the ideal 'English' lock for these forceps, which to this day has not been surpassed by anyone. S. conducted deliveries in the 'lateral' position of the parturient and mainly adhered strictly to a watchful waiting approach, preferring perforation of the living fetus to obstetric operations dangerous to the mother. The literary legacy of S. consists of a 'Treatise' on midwifery, for the elucidation of which S. published an excellent atlas and two volumes of the most instructive observations from his personal practice and from the practice of his students and friends ('Treatise on the theory and practice of midwifery', 1st ed., London, 1752; 'A set of anatomical tables... of the practice of midwifery', London, 1754; 'A collection of cases and observations in midwifery', London, 1754).