One common misconception around obstetrical terms is with the word #caesarean as in Caesarean section or C-section in Spanish “cesárea”. Because most people assume it comes from, obviously
And yes it does come from Caesar but not in the way it is generally thought, which is that it’s called that way because that is how he was born.But historically that will not make sense. At that time that kind of surgery was practiced but still not as well as it is done nowadays
which meant that an operation to get the baby out of the mother was performed when the mother was dead or dying. We know from historical records that Julius Caesars’ mother, Aurelia, lived beyond his birth
So the word comes from the verb "caedare," meaning to cut, and the term "caesones" that was applied to infants born by postmortem operations. Ultimately, though, we cannot be sure of where or when the term cesarean was derived.
Until XVI century the procedure was known as cesarean operation. This began to change following the publication in 1598 of Jacques Guillimeau's book on obstetrics in which he introduced the term "section." Increasingly thereafter "section" replaced "operation."
But the relationship with Caesar comes from the law decreed under Caesar ruling, hence “caesarean law” which was created in an attempt to save the child for a state wishing to increase its population.
The earliest record of a caesarean where both mother and baby survived apparently took place in Switzerland in 1500 when a sow gelder, Jacob Nufer, performed the operation on his wife. After several days in labor and help from thirteen midwives, the woman was unable to birth.
Her desperate husband eventually gained permission from the local authorities to attempt a cesarean. The mother lived and subsequently gave birth normally to five children, including twins. The cesarean baby lived to be 77 years old. But historians question its accuracy.
But perhaps that story inspired the caesarean in Robin Hood performed by the actor Morgan Freeman
Caesarean sections / cesáreas have evolved into an amazing surgery that with minimal invasion (although 7 layers of tissue are cut!) can save many lives. So efficient that has become overused in many countries. But that is birth politics not #linguistics
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