زمان حال استمراری

THE SAVIOUR OF MOTHERS

Present Continuous

It is the year 1842. No one knows what causes puerperal fever. Most doctors are thinking that it is connected to an imbalance in the four humors.

What are doctors thinking about the fever? Doctors are thinking that it is connected to an imbalance in the four humors.

The four humors are four fluids in the body that are connected to the elements: earth, air, fire and water. For example, one of the humors is blood, which is connected to the element of air. Doctors are saying that imbalances of these fluids are causing the disease.

What are doctors saying about imbalances of these fluids? Doctors are saying that imbalances of these fluids are causing the disease.

Many doctors are thinking that problems with blood and air are connected to puerperal fever. The doctors are improving the air in the hospital, but it isn’t helping.

What are the doctors doing? They are improving the air in the hospital.

Other doctors are thinking that people with puerperal fever have too much blood in the body. Some doctors are using leeches to suck blood from the sick person to balance the blood.

Why are the doctors using leeches? They are using leeches to suck blood from the sick person to balance the blood.

This also isn’t helping. Another treatment for puerperal fever is drinking mercury. Some doctors are thinking it could heal sick people. Of course, none of these treatments are helping. No one knows what to do. Some doctors are saying that there is nothing that can be done to stop puerperal fever. Semmelweis is also feeling confused by this problem, but he isn’t giving up.

How is Semmelweis feeling? He is feeling confused.

He doesn’t understand why the women in the first clinic, with doctors and medical students, do so much worse than the second clinic with midwives. Some women are feeling so afraid to go to the first clinic, they choose to have their babies in the street.

How are some women feeling about the first clinic? They are feeling afraid to go to the first clinic.

Even these women are doing much better than the women who went to the first clinic. Semmelweis is looking at all the differences between the two clinics but the only important difference is the people.

What is Semmelweis looking at? He is looking at all the differences between the two clinics.

Around this time, his friend Jakob, a doctor at the hospital is dying from puerperal fever. Before he dies, Jakob is examining a dead body when he cuts his finger.

What is Jakob doing when he cuts his finger? He is examining a dead body when he cuts his finger.

Semmelweis is thinking that there might a connection between the dead body and Jakob cutting his finger. Maybe, there is something invisible that is traveling from the dead body into Jakob’s cut finger. Maybe this is making him sick. Semmelweis knows that the medical students are examining dead bodies before treating the pregnant women and new mothers. Maybe invisible particles from the dead bodies are causing the puerperal fever.

What is causing the puerperal fever? The invisible particles are maybe causing the puerperal fever.

Maybe these invisible particles are traveling on the hands of the medical students and killing the mothers at the first clinic.Semmelweis is thinking about this possibility. Now he is testing his idea. He is right. Semmelweis makes a new rule at the hospital. The doctors are now washing their hands before seeing patients. Deaths from puerperal fever are decreasing from 10 percent to 1 percent.

Are deaths increasing? No, deaths aren’t increasing. Deaths are decreasing.