Obstetric forceps, Jan Palfijn, 1725-1750
Collection of the University of Leiden

A complication that could arise during labour was when the baby got 'stuck' in a pelvis insufficiently dilated for a normal delivery. At such a moment the life both of the child and of the mother was in danger. To ensure that the mother lived, doctors searched for an aid for seeing a blocked pregnancy through to a successful conclusion. The Ghent obstetrician Jan Palfijn (1650-1730) devised a solution, the obstetric forceps. However, these forceps had one disadvantage: the two separate halves sometimes shifted during use. Only after the halves were linked by a hinge did the instrument prove a success.