[Nicolas Puzos: an obstetrician of the 18th century. From military surgery to obstetrics and from milk fever to placenta praevia].

Nicolas Puzos (1686-1753) was a famous french obstetrician in Paris during the 18th century. When he was sixteen years old, his father sent him as aide-major to follow the armies of Louis XIV to learn military surgery. After this he became an obstetrician studying with his master, a friend of his father, Julien Clément, accoucheur to the Court. Puzos while working wrote many notes which were assembled in a book after his death by Morisot-Deslandes: "Traité des Accouchements de M. Puzos", published in 1759. Puzos was the first to advocate rupture and tearing of the membranes in the treatment of haemorrhage brought about by placenta praevia partialis or marginalis. This "Puzos' method" as it is even now sometimes called in France, was aimed to replace "accouchement forcé" followed by version and was discussed by Leroux of Dijon who advocated the vaginal pack or tamponade. The "Puzos' method" was adopted until the current use of cesarean section.