puerperal fever
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈpjʊərˌpɛrəl ˈfiːvər/
- Specialized
:
fiebre puerperal
- He noticed how one clinic had an average maternal mortality rate of about 10 percent due to puerperal fever, while the other clinic had less than 4 percent.
Examples
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Phillips Cutright and Edward Shorter found that puerperal fever.
Academic text (1994) -
For instance, she had a long-standing fascination with childbed (puerperal) fever.
Academic text (2008) -
In the 19th century, many women contracted puerperal fever during childbirth due to unsanitary hospital conditions.
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Due to inadequate hygiene practices, puerperal fever was a leading cause of maternal mortality in the past.
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The doctor explained that puerperal fever could occur after childbirth if proper cleanliness was not maintained.
Synonyms
A serious infection women get after childbirth or abortion from poor hygiene
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a fever occurring after childbirth' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'puerperal' (related to the period after giving birth) with 'fever' (an elevated body temperature). While clinical nuance that it is usually due to an infection may require medical knowledge, the core concept is compositional and clear to a learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Puerperal fever combines puerperal (from a Latin word for a woman who has just given birth) and fever (a high temperature). The name grew from the sad image of women catching dangerous infections after childbirth in dirty hospitals, so it means 'a serious infection contracted after childbirth'.