childbed fever
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - A serious, historically common, and often fatal bacterial infection occurring in women following childbirth or abortion, typically caused by unsanitary conditions during delivery. It is characterized by high fever and septicemia. Modern antiseptic practices have made it uncommon.
Usage
The term is used specifically in medical and historical contexts to describe this postpartum infection. - The tragic death of the young mother was attributed to childbed fever. - Before the discovery of germ theory, childbed fever was a leading cause of maternal mortality.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often associated with the work of 19th-century physicians like Ignaz Semmelweis, who identified the link between physician hygiene and the incidence of the disease.
- In historical texts, it may be referred to by its older name, puerperal fever.
Variants and Related Words
- Puerperal Fever: A direct synonym, more common in formal medical terminology.
- Puerperal Sepsis: A more precise clinical term emphasizing the systemic infection.
- Postpartum Infection: A broader modern term that encompasses childbed fever.
Synonyms
- Puerperal fever
- Puerperal sepsis
- Postpartum septicemia
Related Phrases/Idioms
No common idioms or phrasal verbs are directly associated with this specific medical term.
Noun
- serious form of septicemia contracted by a woman during childbirth or abortion (usually attributable to unsanitary conditions); formerly widespread but now uncommon