Puerperal Fever

Puerperal Fever, afebrile disease which sometimes occurs in women, manifesting itself between the third and the twelfth day after child-birth, and which is due to the entrance of poisonous or septic material into the blood. Before the recognition of the importance of antiseptic methods and scrupulous cleanliness in dealing with raw and wounded surfaces this disease wrought great havoc, particularly in lying-in hospitals. It is now, however, a malady of much more rare occurrence than in former days.