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puerperal fever

American

noun

Pathology.

a systemic bacterial infection of the endometrium characterized by fever, rapid heartbeat, uterine tenderness, and malodorous discharge, chiefly occurring in women after childbirth, usually as the result of unsterile obstetric procedures.

puerperal fever British

noun

a serious, formerly widespread, form of blood poisoning caused by infection contracted during childbirth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of puerperal fever

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

puerperal fever

Semmelweis, once described as a “savior of mothers,” discovered that cases of puerperal fever could be significantly cut by washing hands before surgery.

From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2018

Tolstoy’s wife Sofia almost died when she contracted puerperal fever after her fifth delivery, but he impregnated her again and again.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2016

Dr. Holmes was noted professionally for his researches into puerperal fever.

From Time Magazine Archive

If women were not rendered barren by the bacterium, there were always the risks of childbirth and puerperal fever.

From Time Magazine Archive

B. Wales, Jr., of Iowa City, died on the 17th inst., of puerperal fever, having previously lost her calf.

From Prairie Farmer, Vol. 56: No. 12, March 22, 1884 A Weekly Journal for the Farm, Orchard and Fireside by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023