Rationale for tying the cord
	Apgar et al. (1958) noted that "slow birth," waiting for pulsations of the umbilical cord to cease before cutting it was still practiced in many hospitals.  This tradition, or instruction to wait for the first breath, continued in many obstetrical units until the mid 1980s.
	Now twenty years later, "more studies" of delayed cord clamping are being called for, and the delay is being pushed upward by a few seconds in several research centers.  How can history of the recent past be so quickly forgotten?
		Hemorrhage following childbirth was most likely the original reason for tying the umbilical cord, and this was controversial at least as far back as 1773, when Charles White pointed out that transition from placental to pulmonary respiration does not take place immediately at birth.  At that time, childbirth was a dangerous experience for many women, and the greatest concern was for the safety of the mother.
	Protecting the life of the mother was still the priority at the time that Apgar developed her score for the newborn infant.  Maintaining a "sterile field" for the obstetrician to suture episiotomies or the cesarean incision was (and still is) a major concern.