David Daniel Davis
David Daniel Davis (1777-1841) was born in Wales, began to train for the ministry, but turned to medicine because of his concern for the social problems of the time. He graduated from the university of Glascow in 1801, and practiced for 10 years. He then settled in London in 1813 as a physician-accoucher. In 1827 he became the first professor in Midwifery at the University of London. From 1831 he had recurrent health problems and retired in 1841. Davis great book, "Elements of operative Midwifery" was published in 1825, and in his writings he pleaded for better training, earlier recourse to intervention, and better design of instruments.
He constructed at least 5 different varieties of forceps. Davis's "common forceps", as he called them, were designed to occupy the least possible space in the pelvis and to minimize injury. They were used throughout Britain, and in America where the blade design was incorporated into many other forceps. The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists has in its collection of the obstetric forceps and destructive instruments illustrated in Davis' Elements of Operative Midwifery.
It is said that the publication of his book a new era was begun that would have gladdened the heart of William Smellie and would at least been acceptable to William Hunter.
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