Is it true that the term “cesarean section” is associated with the circumstances of the birth of Julia Caesar?

The legend is widespread that the operation of Caesarean section is called so because the great Roman commander and the ruler was born in this way. We decided to check if this is so.

Mention of cesarean section There is Even in ancient myths. So, Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine, was taken away by Apollo from the abdomen of his dead mother. Rustam, the legendary hero of the Persian folk epic, also was born in a similar way. And the character of the Scandinavian legends Vyolsung spent six years in the womb of his mother before she decided to cut him out of there. By analogy with mythical heroes, this method of birth attributed and the Roman ruler.

Caesarean section operation is extremely common in the modern world - by statistics, every fourth baby in Russia appears in this way. And this is not the largest indicator - in Brazil, this method of delivery chooses 80% of women, in China - even more. The operation is performed both for medical reasons and at the request of the patient. Medical indications include: the incorrect position of the fetus, increased pressure in the mother, premature detachment or incorrect arrangement of the placenta, problems with the cardiovascular system in the mother, deterioration of the condition of the baby or mother in the process of childbirth. The risks for mom and child are low due to the constantly improving surgical technique, a competent choice of anesthesia and antibacterial therapy in the postoperative period.

However, in ancient times, the doctors did not have such an arsenal of funds. Operations for dissecting the abdomen of a pregnant woman in order to extract a child carried out Only dying or deceased women in labor and pursued two goals at once: the potentially possible salvation of the child and the physical separation of the mother and the child for individual funerals. 

Only in 1500 registered The first case of the survival of the mother and baby after the cesarean section. The wife of the Castrarian Pig Jacob Nufer could not give birth for several days. Then the husband, having enlisted the consent of the local authorities and using veterinary experience, himself conducted the operation. The woman survived and subsequently gave birth to five more children (including twins), and the child who was born lived up to 77 years. It is worth noting that the story was documented 82 years after the events, which causes concern about the complete reliability of the described.

It is reliably known that the mother of Caesar Aurelia lived long enough to get The news of the invasion of the commander in the UK, therefore, it is most likely that Julius Caesar was born as a result of a natural birth. 

However, perhaps the name of the operation is still has Attitude to the generic commander. The historian Pliny the elder wrote that the birth nickname Caesar of the Juliev family arose because their ancestor was born as a result of such an operation. Theoretically, this is possible, since a certain percentage of babies really survived as a result of such an operation. The connection between the name of the operation and Lex Caesarea - a special “Caesar” - the ancient Roman position, according to which, in order to increase the birth rate, the dead or dying pregnant woman, it was necessary to cut to give a chance to give a chance to the child. Moreover, it is known that the law appeared 700 years before the birth of Caesar - during the reign of King Numa Pompili.

And finally, there is another version of the origin of the name - from the Latin verb Caedare, meaning “cut”. The word derived from him - Caesones - called babies who were born as a result of the posthumous operation of the mother.

Thus, it can be confidently argued that there is no connection between the name of the operation and the way of the birth of Gai Julia Caesar. However, it is not possible to reliably establish the etymology of the name.

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Facts: 14 of the most popular legends about Julia Caesare
2. From the healer to the doctor. The history of the science of healing