Kyphoscoliosis at full term and after death during labor
Due to a “rachitic” (in this case meaning stunted) pelvis and general deformity, this woman was advised to give birth in a hospital setting. However, either because of inconvenience or inability, she labored at home for many hours, before sending for her doctor. While she succumbed during late labor, the infant survived due to a post-mortem C-section.
Because of the much weakened abdominal muscles and narrow pelvis from kyphoscoliosis, it is unlikely this woman would have ever been able to give birth without assistance. Unfortunately, Caesarian sections were generally not considered for at-risk women before death in North America until the 1920s, and until the 1890s, the mortality rate of the procedure hovered around 85%, meaning that it was only considered if the woman appeared to already be deceased or was in imminent threat of dying.
A Text-Book of Obstetrics. Barton Cooke Hearst, 1899.