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Birth

5 mins
Birth Class 11 English
Snapshots - This article is part of a series.
Part 4: This Article

Okay, here is a summary of the chapter “Birth” and the answers to the questions, made easy to understand with emojis! 😊

Summary of “Birth”

“Birth” is an excerpt from A.J. Cronin’s novel The Citadel. It tells the story of Dr. Andrew Manson, a young doctor who has just started working as an assistant in a small Welsh mining town called Blaenelly.

The story begins late one night when Andrew is called to the home of Joe Morgan. Joe and his wife, Susan Morgan, have been married for almost twenty years and are expecting their first child. Andrew goes to their house feeling tired and distracted after a disappointing evening.

Inside the small, humble house, Andrew finds Susan’s elderly mother and a midwife waiting. After examining Susan, Andrew realises there will be a long wait. He goes down to the kitchen, where he sits by the fire, drinking tea and listening to Joe pacing outside. Andrew’s mind is troubled by thoughts of unhappy marriages he has witnessed, contrasting them with his own hopes. Susan’s mother expresses her deep desire for the baby, telling Andrew not to harm it with anaesthetic.

Hours pass in a “long, harsh struggle”. As dawn breaks, the child is born, but it is lifeless. Andrew is horrified and feels a sense of defeat. Faced with the critical condition of both the mother and the child, he instinctively focuses on resuscitating the mother first. He injects medicine and works to restore her strength, successfully bringing her out of danger.

He then turns his attention back to the child. The midwife points to where she put it, under the bed. He pulls out the baby boy – perfectly formed but pale, limp, and not breathing. Recognising the condition (asphyxia pallida), Andrew remembers a treatment method.

He urgently calls for hot and cold water and basins. Ignoring the midwife who believes the baby is stillborn, Andrew frantically works for half an hour. He uses a “special method of respiration”, alternating between plunging the child in icy and steaming baths, and then rubbing its chest.

Just as he is about to give up, exhausted and despairing, the child’s chest gives a sudden heave. Andrew redoubles his efforts. The baby gasps, mucus emerges, its skin turns pink, and its limbs become firm. Finally, the child lets out a cry.

The nurse cries out that the baby is alive. Andrew, weak and dazed, hands the baby to her. The room is a mess from his efforts. The mother is recovering, and the old grandmother is silently praying.

Andrew leaves, going downstairs for a drink of water. Outside, he finds Joe Morgan waiting anxiously. Andrew tells him, “All right, Joe. Both all right”. As he walks home in the morning light, Andrew feels a profound sense of accomplishment, thinking, “I’ve done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last”. This contrasts with his other experiences in Blaenelly.

Answers to the Questions

Here are the answers to the questions about “Birth” based on the sources, made easy to understand with emojis! 😊

  1. “I have done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.” Why does Andrew say this? What does it mean?

    • Andrew says this after he has successfully resuscitated the seemingly lifeless baby. Despite hours of difficult struggle, the child was born not breathing. He worked frantically, using methods he learned from his training, even when others thought it was futile. Bringing the child back to life was a direct, tangible, and miraculous result of his medical efforts.
    • It means that this experience felt like his first truly significant and impactful achievement as a doctor. Compared to other work he had done in Blaenelly, saving this life from the brink of death was a profound and deeply satisfying accomplishment. It wasn’t just routine medicine; it was a real, life-affirming triumph against despair. ✨👶
  2. There lies a great difference between textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician. Discuss.

    • The story illustrates this difference through Andrew’s experience. Textbook medicine provides the knowledge and techniques like the method Andrew remembered from the Samaritan hospital for treating asphyxia pallida. However, the world of a practising physician involves much more than just applying knowledge. It requires:
      • Making difficult decisions under pressure, such as choosing whether to attend to the mother or the child first when both are in a critical state.
      • Dealing with the emotional weight of life and death situations, like the horror Andrew felt when the baby was born lifeless or the overwhelming sense of defeat.
      • Persistence and determination even when facing doubt or discouragement from others (like the midwife).
      • Instinct and practical application developed through experience, not just theoretical learning.
      • Working in challenging, poorly equipped environments (like the small, oil-lit bedroom with basic facilities).
      • Handling the anxiety and expectations of the family involved.
    • While textbooks provide the foundation, the reality of practice involves intense pressure, emotional resilience, quick thinking, and the messy, unpredictable nature of actual cases, going beyond the clean steps outlined in books. 📚➡️👩‍⚕️
  3. Do you know of any incident when someone has been brought back to life from the brink of death through medical help. Discuss medical procedures such as organ transplant and organ regeneration that are used to save human life.

    • Based on the provided sources, there is information about Dr. Andrew Manson bringing a seemingly stillborn baby back to life through specific resuscitation techniques. However, the sources do not contain information about specific real-life incidents of resuscitation, organ transplants, or organ regeneration.
    • Therefore, I cannot discuss those topics or provide examples from within these sources. This part of the query goes beyond the scope of the text provided. 📖🚫🌍

I hope this helps clarify the story and answer your questions! 😊

Snapshots - This article is part of a series.
Part 4: This Article