noun
puerperal fever; childbed fever
Medical term for a postpartum infection causing fever, historically a major cause of maternal death. Now rare in modern clinical settings due to improved hygiene.
19世紀には産褥熱で多くの産婦が亡くなった。
In the 19th century, many women died of puerperal fever.
Refers to the postpartum period or the state of lying-in after childbirth, while 産褥熱 specifically denotes the fever or infection occurring during that time.
Compound of 産褥 (sanjyoku, 'postpartum period') and 熱 (netsu, 'fever'). The term is a direct medical compound describing fever occurring in the puerperium.