Birth Summary

This story is an extract from eminent writer A.J.Cronin’s novel ‘The Citadel’. This novel is considered to be a pathbreaking book in the field of medical ethics. Based on this story, in later years, Great Britain went on to set up its now very famous National Health System. The story of birth summary class 11 is about a doctor who has to deal with a difficult case while his mental state is not good. He finally overcomes the problem and gives excellent patient care. The extracted part tells about a medical miracle of a doctor’s goodwill and hard work to treat his patient. The story ‘The Citadel’ is a conglomeration of tragedy, loss, and redemption.

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Birth Summary

Andrew Manson is a doctor and recently passed out of medical school in the Birth chapter summary. He has a girlfriend named Christine who is a schoolteacher. As he has just passed out, he is still new to the job. Andrew argued with his girlfriend as he is very outspoken. Andrew was feeling guilty about the argument. He reaches his home finally. As soon as he arrives at his house, he finds that Joe Morgan is eagerly waiting for him there. Joe’s wife was expecting the first child. Both of them were very nervous and anxious as that was going to be their first child in the 20 long years of their marriage. Though it is late in the night, Andrew agrees to go with Mr. Morgan as he puts his duty ahead of his well-being.

When both of them reached Mr. Morgan’s house, Andrew saw that a midwife, who is a trained professional help during labour, is attending Lady Morgan. Just by looking at her, Andrew assessed that the condition of the lady is severe and she is in labour pain. Despite the very assessment, he took a pause and utilized the time to have a better understanding of the condition. 

Though he only wants to think about his patient at that moment, his mind diverts into other things like how Branwell did everything for a woman who in the end betrayed him. He also thought about Edward Page who now lives separately away from his first wife and has married the ill-natured Bowden. He felt that all these could again happen with him and Christine. But he puts all these aside as he has to get back to his patient who needs medical attention. Lady Morgan was under anesthesia.

Andrew gave his all and after an hour-long struggle, at the stroke of dawn, the lady delivered a child. Soon after the delivery, Andrew noticed that the child has no life as it is a stillborn baby. Andrew was ultimately in shock at that time as he saw that the child is lifeless and also, the mother requires immediate medical treatment. At that moment Andrew had to make a choice. He had to choose who he would want to attend, the child or the mother.

He chooses the mother over the child. Andrew handed the child to the midwife. Lady Morgan was unconscious at that time. Andrew calmed himself down and treated the mother with steady hands and slowly Lady Morgan gained consciousness and her heartbeat returned to a standard rate. He then inquired about the child from the midwife. The midwife told Andrew that she had put the child under the bed wrapped in soaked newspaper. Andrew pulled the child out and scrutinized it who was looking pale and looked like he had suffered suffocation.

In the beginning, Andrew failed to recognize that it was a case of asphyxia and the child had suffered from an excess amount of carbon dioxide and less oxygen in the blood. At that very moment, Andrew could have given up on the child but he didn’t. He didn’t lose hope and started giving all the medical treatment to the child and tried to recollect everything he learned in medical school. While he was trying, the midwife kept telling him that he can’t put life back into a dead child and that the child was stillborn but Andrew ignored all that and kept on trying as he knew that the child was essential to the couple.

When Andrew almost gave up, he suddenly remembered a case in the medical school that was very similar to this one. He found a ray of hope amidst the darkness. He started rubbing the child’s back with a crushed towel. He puts the chest of the little child in both his hands. He then tries to fill some air into the body of the child and after almost half an hour’s hard-fought battle, the little body gave a motion, and the child slowly turned around and started crying. Andrew heaved a sigh of relief and handed the child over to the midwife. After he is done with the process, he narrates the whole thing to Mr. Morgan and takes his permission to leave, and walks down the street. As he walked, he had a sense of satisfaction and the feeling of achieving something great.

Understanding Themes present in the Birth Summary

The summary of Birth touches upon various themes which are central to not just medical practitioners but also to humans in general. 

This story teaches us how one needs to keep his/her problems aside and focus on the situation present at the moment. This is portrayed by Andrew excellently when he chooses to focus on delivering Mrs. Morgan’s child rather than bothering about his fight with his girlfriend. 

This story also teaches learners about how stressful situations can be handled by prioritizing. He chooses to save the mother and then focuses on the baby even though he was aware that the couple had been waiting to have a baby for the past 20 years. He makes a decision, shows faith in it, and sticks to it.

Lastly, this story highlights how we should avoid instant gratification and not stop until we have given our one hundred percent in overcoming a hurdle. After saving the mother’s life, he turns his attention towards the stillborn baby and continues to apply everything he has learned to bring him to life.

All these efforts finally bore fruits and he leaves Mr. Morgan’s house with a sense of satisfaction. This shows how gratifying it is for humans to put their everything into something which everyone else assumes to be not worth it and in the end come out with flying colours. More than anything, putting in the effort and not giving up matters.