LESTRYGONIANS
"Twilight sleep idea: queen Victoria was given that. Nine she had. A good layer." (U8.378)
Queen Victoria (here as one of them mots) indeed had 9 children. In 1848, Prince Albert and the Queen expressed interest in anesthesia during the Queen's deliveries. By then, they had #6 children. Anesthesia had just been introduced in England, and was being pioneered by Dr. John Snow (1813 - 1858), using ether and chloroform. The 3 royal physicians, led by Dr. Charles Locock, had major reservations about its use. They conferred with Dr. Snow, yet no anesthetic was administered in 1850 for #7 (Arthur, Duke of Connaught). Such reservations were lifted in 1853 for #8 (Prince Leopold), and Dr. Snow gave the Queen chloroform uneventfully. This added immense credibility to the procedure, and the social elite in London soon followed the Queen's lead. In 1857, Dr. Snow again provided chloroform when #9 (Princess Beatrice) was born. During his career, Dr. John anesthetized 77 obstetric patients using chloroform.
