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![]() Women gave birth in a darkened room, and the birth attendants wore uniforms designed to minimize noise. To effectively keep women in an amnesic state, sensory isolation was necessary. Because of how variable the scopolamine dosages are between patients, and the need for accurate assessment of performance on the memory test, the twilight sleep method required skillful, well-trained practitioners for proper execution. When performed properly, the drug combination caused a drowsy state and relieved the pain only partially, whilst creating amnesia such that the woman giving birth sometimes would not remember any pain, although these results were variable. A memory test was then given, and subsequent smaller doses of scopolamine were given based on the individual's performance on the memory tests. Forty five minutes later, a second scopolamine injection of the same dosage was administered. In the Freiburg technique, considered the gold standard of twilight birth, patients were first given an intramuscular injection of 1⁄ 150 grain (0.432 mg) of scopolamine and 1⁄ 2 grain (32.4 mg) of morphine. The obstetric method originated in Germany and gained large popularity in New York City in the early 20th century. Twilight sleep (English translation of the German word Dämmerschlaf) is an amnesic state characterized by insensitivity to pain without loss of consciousness, induced by an injection of morphine and scopolamine, with the purpose of pain management during childbirth. "A Peasant Mother and her Twilight Sleep Boy" from Painless childbirth in twilight sleep : a complete history of twilight sleep from its beginning in 1903 to its present development in 1915, including its successful use in Great Britain to-day by Hanna Rion For the novel by Edith Wharton, see Twilight Sleep (novel). ![]()
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