Cephalotripsy

Cephalotripsia (historical; cephalotripsia; from ancient Greek κεφαλή - head and τρίψις - crushing) is a surgical operation that involves removing the fetus from the uterus by crushing and reducing the size of its head.

Used in the 18th-19th centuries. to save the mother’s life during difficult childbirth, when the baby’s head got stuck in the birth canal. It was performed in extreme cases when other methods of fetal extraction were ineffective. It was carried out manually by an obstetrician or with the help of special instruments to crush the bones of the fetal skull to facilitate childbirth.

With the development of obstetric science and the advent of new methods of obstetrics, cephalotripsy gradually fell out of use by the end of the 19th century, as it often led to death or injury to the newborn. Currently, it has been completely replaced by other, safer procedures.

Cephalotripsy (Latin cephalo - head and other Greek τρίψις - compression, crushing), sometimes called cephalotripsy, is a surgical method of removing tartar using special instruments. By moving the tool, the stone is continuously compressed. Removing tartar destroys its bonds with tooth enamel. The stone removal method is based on the force of the instrument's own gravity; it was invented by the medieval physician Arnold of Villanova in the 13th century AD. e. Cephalotripsy was invented by Villanova around the 14th century and has not undergone significant changes since then. During the procedure, the stone is placed between the instrument and the patient's mouth, which clenches the teeth. The instrument moves with a rotating or vibrating motion inside the mouth from one tooth to another, removing the stone. This approach to stone removal is simple, but requires precise adherence