Yotzei Dofen, Ancient C-Sections: Tsegi Ruins Ch 6

Ancient C-Sections were so prevalent they caused a legal issue to arise regarding one's inheritance.

"But what equipment did they have to allow them this level of surgery?" John wondered. "I imagine the instruments were crude, dull, and dangerous."

(Editor's note: No, the instruments were very sophisticated, as Katie and the reader will realize in Ch13: Observation Platform)

"But what equipment did they have to allow them this level of surgery?" John wondered. "I imagine the instruments were crude, dull, and dangerous."

(Editor's note: No, the instruments were very sophisticated, as Katie and the reader will realize in Ch13: Observation Platform)"But what equipment did they have to allow them this level of surgery?" John wondered. "I imagine the instruments were crude, dull, and dangerous."

(Editor's note: No, the instruments were very sophisticated, as Katie and the reader will realize in Ch13: Observation Platform)A Successful C-section depended upon keeping mom still. The ancients used alcohol as well as natural plants sedatives. Here's an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Tsegi Ruins:

"Hey Doctor Katie, Doc was telling me C-sections were done in Roman times. He said to ask you about it," Sheriff John began.

"Yes," Katie answered. "C-sections have been done for thousands of years, long before Rome’s time, about twelve hundred years earlier. The Babylonian Talmud, an ancient Jewish religious text, mentions a procedure similar to the caesarean section. The procedure is termed yotzei dofen, and was performed in temples in northern Iraq, from Baghdad to Mosul, which was called Nineveh back then."

"They did it without anesthesia?" he asked.

"No, Sheriff," Katie replied. "They made do with what they had; alcohol and opium. Morphine is made from opium. In the 1800's early European travelers to Africa observed c-sections performed on a regular basis using similar crude drugs and utensils. The expectant mother was anesthetized with alcohol. Herbal mixtures were used afterward to encourage healing."

"What alcohol did they use?" Sheriff asked.

"Beer and wine were used. Stronger alcohol drinks came later because distillation requires extra steps."

"Oh, yeah. The good old still, where real alcohol comes from. Distillation couldn't happen until metal pipes were invented." the sheriff replied.

"You're wrong about that, Sheriff," Katie replied. "There are stills operating in India that have no metal pipes and have been used to distill since antiquity." (See Next Blog: Ancient Stills)

A child born via Cesarean section, and the one who comes after him, neither of them is the firstborn, not to inheritance nor to the kohen.

“That’s precisely why it’s in the Talmud,” Katie explained. “It is how they determined the legality of infants delivered by surgery. Yotzei dofen means one who comes forth from the wall of the mother’s abdomen. The other way is through the womb, her vagina, the natural way of childbirth. The entire pelvic region is referred to as the womb, not just the uterus. It’s like their concept of babies and sex was at grade school level where the womb referred to all those unknown female innie parts.”

“Innie parts?” “As opposed to outie parts. You know, boys have the hot dog, girls have the bun. For boys what you see is what you get. Girls have inner parts, just the outer opening into a vast, mysterious world where pleasure goes in, and babies come out.”

“I thought you said it was grade school level.” “I did.” “Not with this pleasure stuff.” She smiled politely and ignored his baiting. “The firstborn male had individual rights and obligations, usually inheriting the family business and wealth. This is why its legality was constantly questioned. A yotzei dofen was not eligible to receive the firstborn entitlement. They put it in the Torah in Exodus 13:2, that’s how frequent the problem was.”

“Yep, that’s Jewish people for you, lawyers to the nth degree.” “That’s amazing, Katie,” Rory said. “When did you learn this stuff?” “The whole time I was at Cal Poly. Paula’s mom is a history professor at Cal Poly, specializing in near eastern ancient studies. She would talk about this stuff incessantly.” “So this predates Rome by how long?” “This occurred twelve to fourteen hundred years before Christ.” “But were they successful really, these surgeries?” Sheriff questioned. “Common enough to raise an issue all the way into the Talmud, their Constitution. It could also be an explanation for Jesus being born from a virgin. The Christian idea of a virgin birth is derived from the verse in your Bible Isaiah 7:14 describing an "alma" as giving birth. The word "alma" always meant a young woman when the thing was written. But centuries later Christian theologians translated it as ‘virgin’”. “Jesus was delivered by C-section? Wow, I don’t know where you are going with this, Doctor, but this is weird.” "I did not say that. I am just pointing to the fact the word Alma was never before used to describe a virgin. However, it is possible it’s one reason for the Jews to reject Jesus’s qualifications. If he were the firstborn male in one of David’s descendants, it would make him eligible for Messiah. If Mary had problems delivering, and she brought Jesus into the world via a C-section, he would live, but not be in the firstborn legal position.” “Whoa partner, slow that speeding-away brain of yours. You’re scaring the clients!” Rory went over to Katie and hugged her, smiling indulgently. She flashed him an angry, 'take your hands off me' look. Boy, did he misjudge this! He was hoping for a hug and something like ‘it's ok’ kiss from her. He dropped his arms, and she continued. “Shoot, by Jesus’ time they would have been doing it for twelve hundred years. This was after Greece’s glory days. They were in the middle of the good-old Roman days.” “I bet C-sections were done a lot.” Rory was still trying to help, nonchalantly tossing it out. “Wouldn’t that be right, Katie?