1. Chapter Introduction: Birth
“Birth” by A.J. Cronin is a highly gripping and emotional excerpt from the novel ‘The Citadel’. The chapter beautifully describes a young, newly graduated doctor’s relentless struggle to bring a lifeless newborn baby back to life. The story of Birth not only highlights the medical miracle and the intense pressure of the medical profession but also explores the theme of supreme emotional fulfillment that comes from saving a human life without giving up hope.
2. Characters Detail in Birth
- Dr. Andrew Manson: A newly qualified, dedicated young doctor working as an assistant to Dr. Edward Page. Despite being emotionally disturbed about his personal life, he shows immense perseverance and presence of mind to perform a medical miracle.
- Joe Morgan: A well-built, anxious driller (miner) in the Welsh mining town of Blaenelly. He and his wife are expecting their first child after twenty years of marriage.
- Susan Morgan: Joe Morgan’s wife. She is the patient who is undergoing a complicated and critical delivery.
- Mrs. Morgan’s Mother: A tall, seventy-year-old, grey-haired woman. she is extremely anxious about her daughter’s condition but tries to remain strong.
- The Midwife: A stout, practical, but inexperienced nurse. She gives up easily and places the lifeless baby under the bed, assuming it to be dead.
3. Full Summary of Birth
The Midnight Call
The events of Birth begin around midnight. Dr. Andrew Manson returns home physically and emotionally exhausted after a disappointing evening with his girlfriend, Christine. Outside his clinic, he finds a highly anxious Joe Morgan waiting for him. Joe informs him that his wife, Susan, needs him urgently as she is about to deliver their first child after twenty years of marriage. Andrew immediately grabs his medical bag and heads to Number 12, Blaina Terrace.
The Critical Delivery
Inside the house, the atmosphere is tense. Susan’s seventy-year-old mother and a stout midwife are waiting. As the hours pass, Andrew struggles with his confusing thoughts about love and marriage, contrasting them with the grim reality in front of him. Finally, an hour before dawn, the delivery takes place. However, to Andrew’s horror, the baby is born lifeless, suffering from a severe condition called asphyxia pallida (lack of oxygen). Meanwhile, the mother’s condition also becomes extremely critical.
The Dilemma and The Medical Miracle
Andrew faces a terrible dilemma: whom to save first? He quickly decides to attend to the mother, injecting her with medicine and working frantically until her pulse becomes stable. Then, he asks for the child. The midwife, assuming the baby was dead, had placed it under the bed among old newspapers. Andrew pulls out the limp, white body of the baby boy and remembers a treatment he had once seen. He demands two basins—one with cold water and the other with steaming hot water.
The Ultimate Triumph
In the climax of Birth, Andrew repeatedly plunges the baby alternately into the hot and cold water like a crazy juggler. When that fails, he rubs the baby with a rough towel and presses its chest rhythmically to induce breathing. Just as he is about to lose hope, the baby’s chest heaves, and it starts breathing, turning pink. The child cries out, marking a miraculous birth. Exhausted but deeply satisfied, Andrew walks out into the dawn, uttering to himself, “I’ve done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.”
4. Multiple Choice Questions (10 MCQs)
Q1. Who is the author of the chapter “Birth”?
(a) William Saroyan | (b) A.J. Cronin | (c) Marga Minco | (d) J.B. Priestley
Answer: (b) A.J. Cronin
Q2. How many years had Joe and Susan Morgan been married before expecting their first child?
(a) 10 years | (b) 15 years | (c) 20 years | (d) 25 years
Answer: (c) 20 years
Q3. What was the name of Dr. Andrew Manson’s girlfriend?
(a) Susan | (b) Mary | (c) Christine | (d) Lhamo
Answer: (c) Christine
Q4. Where did Joe Morgan live?
(a) Number 12, Blaina Terrace | (b) Number 46, Marconi Street | (c) Number 14, Blaina Street | (d) Number 10, Victoria Terrace
Answer: (a) Number 12, Blaina Terrace
Q5. What medical condition was the newborn baby suffering from?
(a) Pneumonia | (b) Asphyxia pallida | (c) Jaundice | (d) Cardiac arrest
Answer: (b) Asphyxia pallida
Q6. What did the midwife do with the lifeless baby initially?
(a) She threw it away | (b) She gave it to the grandmother | (c) She placed it under the bed among old newspapers | (d) She started crying
Answer: (c) She placed it under the bed among old newspapers
Q7. What treatment did Dr. Andrew use to revive the baby?
(a) CPR and oxygen mask | (b) Plunging the baby alternately into hot and cold water | (c) Injecting adrenaline | (d) Slapping the baby’s back
Answer: (b) Plunging the baby alternately into hot and cold water
Q8. Whom did Dr. Andrew decide to save first when both were in danger?
(a) The baby | (b) The mother (Susan Morgan) | (c) He panicked and did nothing | (d) He asked the midwife for help
Answer: (b) The mother (Susan Morgan)
Q9. What was Dr. Andrew’s mental state before attending the delivery?
(a) Excited and energetic | (b) Calm and peaceful | (c) Confused, upset, and exhausted | (d) Angry at Joe Morgan
Answer: (c) Confused, upset, and exhausted
Q10. What were Andrew’s final words as he walked down the street?
(a) “I need to sleep.” | (b) “It was a miracle.” | (c) “I’ve done something real at last.” | (d) “I hate this profession.”
Answer: (c) “I’ve done something real at last.”
5. Short Answer Type Questions (35 Words)
Q1. Why was Joe Morgan waiting for Dr. Andrew outside his house?
Ans. Joe Morgan was pacing heavily outside Dr. Andrew’s house at midnight because his wife, Susan, was expecting their first child after twenty years of marriage, and she was in need of immediate medical attention.
Q2. What dilemma did Dr. Andrew face after the child was born?
Ans. Upon delivery, Andrew faced a terrifying dilemma. The newborn baby was lifeless, and simultaneously, the mother, Susan Morgan, was collapsing with a fading pulse. He had to decide whom to save first.
Q3. Describe the condition of the newborn baby in the chapter “Birth”.
Ans. The baby boy was born lifeless and perfectly formed. Its body was completely white, soft, and limp like a piece of bone. It was suffering from asphyxia pallida, a condition caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood.
Q4. How did the midwife react to the lifeless baby?
Ans. The inexperienced and pessimistic midwife was terrified. Assuming the baby was stillborn and dead, she hastily pushed its limp body under the bed among old newspapers to hide it from the family.
Q5. What did Andrew mean when he said, “I’ve done something real at last”?
Ans. Andrew meant that despite his personal emotional turmoil and the seemingly impossible medical situation, he had achieved a true miracle. Saving two lives filled him with supreme professional and spiritual satisfaction.
6. Long Answer Type Questions (60-70 Words)
Q1. Describe the frantic efforts made by Dr. Andrew Manson to revive the stillborn child.
Ans. After saving the mother, Dr. Andrew pulled the lifeless baby from under the bed. Diagnosing it with asphyxia pallida, he demanded hot and cold water. He frantically plunged the baby into the cold basin and then into the hot steaming basin alternately, like a crazy juggler. When this failed, he rubbed the slippery body with a rough towel and rhythmically pressed and released its little chest to induce artificial respiration, eventually forcing the baby to breathe.
Q2. Compare and contrast the attitude of Dr. Andrew and the midwife in the story “Birth”.
Ans. The midwife and Dr. Andrew represent contrasting attitudes. The midwife was pessimistic, lacked practical knowledge, and gave up instantly. Upon seeing the lifeless baby, she abandoned it under the bed. On the other hand, Dr. Andrew was deeply dedicated, courageous, and optimistic. Despite being exhausted and dealing with two dying patients, he kept his nerve. He used his medical knowledge and fought fiercely against all odds until he miraculously saved both the mother and the child.
Q3. Justify the title of the story “Birth”.
Ans. The title Birth is deeply appropriate as it operates on two levels. Physically, it refers to the literal birth of Joe and Susan Morgan’s first child after twenty long years, which was saved through a medical miracle. On a psychological level, it signifies the “birth” of a true doctor. Andrew Manson transforms from a confused, emotionally drained young man into a confident, dedicated physician who experiences the ultimate fulfillment of saving human lives.