Birth | Summary | A. J. Cronin | Class XI | Chapter 7 | Snapshots | English |

Birth Class 11 by A. J. Cronin | Class XI | Chapter 7 | Snapshots | English |

Summary of Birth

Birth Class 11 by A.J.Cronin : This chapter is all about Andrew Manson who is newly out of medical college and has just commenced his practice under the supervision of Dr. Edward Page as an assistant in Blaenelly. It also highlights the efforts made by Andrew Manson in saving the life of a newly born dead child who finally gets to life because of him.

At the beginning of the chapter, we find Andrew Manson distressed and monotonous after having a disappointing evening with Christine, the girl whom he loves a lot. On reaching his home, he finds Joe Morgan, waiting for him, whose wife in pains and expecting her first baby after a long time. On a special request of Joe Morgan Andrew Manson goes to his home to help his pregnant wife. Although he is dead tired yet he picks up his bag and reaches Joe’s home with even complaining once.

Joe refuses to enter his house as he can’t see his wife in pains and decides to wait outside till the good news comes. But, Andrew Manson enters the home and finds two other women over there as helping hands i.e. Mrs. Morgan’s mother and an elderly midwife who are sitting beside the patient waiting for the right time. Meanwhile, Andrew is given a cup to tea and he starts waiting for the moment whence he has to start his work on the patient. While waiting, he gets lost in the imagination of the episode that happened at Cardiff station and other married people’s life which is worthless and unreasonable.

At half past three, he is called by the nurse on the top floor. Andrew Manson, without delaying, starts working on the patient incessantly. In spite of working so hard on patient for such a long time, he finds the child born as lifeless when it is born. He hands over the dead child to the nurse and draws his entire attention to Susan Morgan who is breathless as well desperate seeing the lifeless child. He manages to help her retaining her breath after injecting the medicine through a hypodermic.

Now, Andrew Manson pays his all heed to the child who is lying lifeless. He kneels down & finds the child who is perfectly formed with skin of lovely texture but dead. He feels out of wits as he has no idea how to save the lifeless child. Soon he is reminded of the same incident wherein a boy was resuscitated by the team of doctors born in the same scenario at Samaritan. Without wasting a single second, he begins the special method of respiration which makes no difference. He asks the nurse to bring two basins of cold and hot water each. When the water is brought, he starts dipping the child from one basin to another incessantly.

Despite his untiring efforts, the child doesn’t breathe. Andrew Manson doesn’t give up and continues his efforts till the lifeless child is brought to breathing. At last, the boy gets back to life which is seen and announced by the midwife. The child starts crying and the efforts put in by Andrew Manson bring fruit. He, though worn and tired, takes his jacket and goes out of the home without worrying about his bag. He gives this good news to Joe Morgan who has been expecting a child for a long time. Finally, he takes a sigh of relief that he has done something good at last. 

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Important Questions/Answers of Birth

Q1.Who was Joe Morgan? Why had he been waiting for Dr. Andrew Manson?

Ans. Joe Morgan was a driller in Blaenelly, a small town known for mining. Joe and his wife had been expecting their first baby after twenty years of their marriage. Therefore, he was waiting for the doctor to come and help his wife Susan in the delivery of the child.

Q2. Why did Joe refuse to accompany the doctor to his house?

Ans. Susan, Joe’s Wife’ was about to deliver a child which made him tensed. He was not in a condition to see his wife in pains. Therefore, he decided to stay outside till the baby was delivered successfully.

Q3. Why was Mrs. Morgan’s mother worried? 

Ans. Mrs. Morgan’s mother had also been there to look after her daughter before the delivery. When the doctor told her that he would have to wait till the pains of Mrs. Morgan start, she thought that the doctor would run away leaving them in between. Seeing her tensed, the doctor assured him that he would not run.

Q4. What were Andrew’s view of marriage?

Ans. Andrew had been stressed because of Christine whom he had fought with. He heart was overflowing which left him resentful while sitting at Mrs. Morgan’s house. He had mixed feelings of marriage and for people who had been married.

Q5. Why did a shiver of horror pass over Andrew?

Ans. Andrew had been trying his level best for the safe and secured delivery of the baby. But, when the baby was born lifeless, it made him feel breathless. He had no idea what was happening over there. Soon, he had another look at the still form of the baby, a shiver of horror passed over him.

Q6. Whom did the doctor save first? What efforts did he make to save her?

Ans. When the child was born lifeless, Andrew got caught in an ugly middle position whether to resuscitate the child or to look after the fainting mother. Having seen the gravity of the situation, Andrew paid all his attention to Mrs. Morgan who had been crying all long and could die probably if not treated on the spot. He smashed a glass ampule and injected the medicine.

Q7. What did Andrew conclude after seeing the current state of the child?

Ans. When the child was born, its body was white and soft. Its head lolled on the thick neck. The limbs seemed boneless and the whiteness swept over its whole body which meant suffocation caused by the lack of oxygen.

Q8. Which therapy was used by Andrew Manson to revive the child?

Ans. Andrew had once seen a similar case in the Samaritan. Therefore, he remembered the treatment that had been used over there. He asked for two basins one of hot and another of cold water and started the therapy of dipping the child from one to another.

Q9. How did Andrew succeed in his mission? 

Ans. Andrew Manson had a tough time at the time of child’s delivery. He had been trying his level best to resuscitate the lifeless child using various techniques and therapies. When he rubbed the child with a rough towel pressing and releasing his chest, the lifeless child began to breathe and gave a loud cry. All that made Andrew successful in his mission.

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