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

There is a widespread legend that the caesarean section operation is called that way because the great Roman commander and ruler was born in exactly this way. We decided to check if this is true.

Mentions of caesarean section There is even in ancient myths. Thus, Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine, was removed from the belly of his dead mother by Apollo. Rustam, the legendary hero of the Persian folk epic, was also born in a similar way. And the character of Scandinavian legends, Völsung, spent six whole years in his mother’s womb before she decided to cut him out of there. By analogy with mythical heroes, this method of birth attributed to and the Roman governor.

The operation of caesarean section is extremely common in the modern world - according to statistics, every fourth baby in Russia is born in this way. And this is not the largest indicator - in Brazil, 80% of women choose this method of delivery, and in China - even more. The operation is performed both for medical reasons and at the request of the patient. Medical indications include: abnormal position of the fetus, high blood pressure in the mother, premature abruption or incorrect location of the placenta, problems with the cardiovascular system in the mother, deterioration of the condition of the baby or mother during childbirth. The risks for mother and child are low thanks to constantly improving surgical techniques, competent choice of anesthesia and antibacterial therapy in the postoperative period.

However, in ancient times doctors did not have such an arsenal of tools. Operations of cutting the abdomen of a pregnant woman in order to remove the child were carried out only to dying or deceased mothers in labor and pursued two goals at once: the potential salvation of the child and the physical separation of mother and child for separate funerals. 

Only in 1500 registered the first case of survival of mother and baby after caesarean section. The wife of pig castrator Jacob Nufer could not give birth for several days. Then the husband, having secured the consent of local authorities and using veterinary experience, performed the operation himself. The woman survived and subsequently gave birth to five more children (including twins), and the child who was born lived to be 77 years old. It is worth noting that the story was documented 82 years after the events, which raises concerns among historians about the complete reliability of what is described.

It is reliably known that Caesar's mother Aurelia lived long enough to get news of the commander's invasion of Great Britain, so it is most likely that Julius Caesar was born as a result of natural childbirth. 

However, perhaps the name of the operation is still has attitude towards the family of the great commander. The historian Pliny the Elder wrote that the family nickname Caesar of the Julius family arose because their ancestor was born as a result of such an operation. This is theoretically possible, since a certain percentage of babies actually survive as a result of such an operation. There is also a connection between the name of the operation and Lex Caesarea - the special “law of Caesar” - an ancient Roman provision according to which, in order to increase the birth rate, a deceased or dying pregnant woman had to be cut 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 Pompilius.

And finally, there is another version of the origin of the name - from the Latin verb caedare, meaning “to cut.” A word derived from it - caesones - was used to describe babies born as a result of the mother's posthumous operation.

Thus, we can confidently say that there is no connection between the name of the operation and the method of birth of Gaius Julius 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. Fact check: 14 most popular legends about Julius Caesar
2. From healer to doctor. History of the science of healing