Paper, 'An account of an extra-uterine foetus taken out of a woman after death, that had continued five years and an [sic] half in the body' by Robert Houstoun [Houston]
Reference number: CLP/12ii/10
Date: 1723
Description
Houston describes a case of a woman who was at term and thought she had gone into labour, but whose uterus was completely closed off. Houston found that the foetus was located between the uterus and the intestines, and offered to attempt a surgical delivery, which was rejected by the woman. A year and a half later, the woman developed a large growth that she refused to have drained, and subsequently died. Houston performed the post-mortem and found the foetus. Also includes gives details of other similar cases, written in Latin. Engraved figures from Philosophical Transactions attached.
Subject: Medicine
Published in Philosophical Transactions as 'An account of an extra-uterine fœtus, taken out of a woman after death, that had continued five years and an half in the body'.
Read to the Royal Society on 9 May 1723.
- Reference number
- CLP/12ii/10
- Earliest possible date
- 1723
- Physical description
- Ink on paper
- Page extent
- 11 pages
- Format
- Manuscript
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Citation
Robert Houston, Paper, 'An account of an extra-uterine foetus taken out of a woman after death, that had continued five years and an [sic] half in the body' by Robert Houstoun [Houston], 1723, CLP/12ii/10, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_12ii_10/paper-an-account-of-an-extra-uterine-foetus-taken-out-of-a-woman-after-death-that-had-continued-five-years-and-an-sic-half-in-the-body-by-robert-houstoun-houston, accessed on 19 April 2026
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V. An account of an extra-uterine fœtus, taken out of a woman after death, that had continued five years and an half in the body. External link, opens in new tab.
Date: 31st December 1723
DOI: 10.1098/rstl.1722.0074
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Robert Houston
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Classified Papers
The 'Classified Papers' of the Royal Society are papers from British and international natural philosophers and scholars categorised according to subject areas.
Dates: 1592 - 1741
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