Another look at religious objections to obstetric anaesthesia

•This study provides objective data on opposition to the introduction of obstetric anaesthesia in 1847.•The effect of Simpson’s pamphlet Answer to the Religious Objections is examined.•The effect of the introduction of chloroform is examined.•Contemporary and subsequent literature is reviewed.

Starting with the earliest biographies of James Young Simpson, the topic of religious opposition to obstetric anaesthesia in 1847 was gradually embellished in historical articles. Objective data are lacking and it has been suggested that this is a myth of recent medical history. A search for more information led to a contemporaneous case-book of the maternity hospital in Edinburgh, which was examined. The provision of anaesthesia in the 11 months before publication of Simpson’s pamphlet Answer to the Religious Objections was compared with that in the 11 months after. This revealed a marked increase (P<0.01) in the provision of anaesthesia for childbirth after the publication of Simpson’s pamphlet in December 1847. This analysis supports the existence of opposition to obstetric anaesthesia and the success of Simpson’s pamphlet in overcoming it, but the introduction of chloroform about six weeks earlier, may also have contributed.