Although episiotomy is one of the most common surgical procedures carried out on women, its medical value is still open to debate. There is also controversy over whether an episiotomy is preferable to a tear.
HISTORY LESSON
Episiotomies were first developed in Europe in the 18th century. An Irish doctor first discussed the advantages of episiotomy in 1742 for women experiencing difficult births. Once local analgesia and suturing material became available, episiotomy became very popular. Episiotomy was introduced to the United States in 1851.
In the 1920s, Dr Delee was the first person to advocate the practice of routine episiotomy with forceps delivery. Episiotomy then became an extremely popular practice throughout the world, with some authorities even advocating the use of routine (you get
