There is some evidence to suggest that caesarian sections may have been performed in ancient times. For example, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates wrote about a procedure called "embryotomy," which involved cutting open the womb to remove a baby. However, it is not clear if embryotomy was ever actually performed, and it is possible that Hippocrates was simply speculating.
The first documented case of a successful caesarian section was performed in 1500 by a Swiss physician named Jacob Nufer. Nufer's patient was a woman named Elisabeth Strüb, who was suffering from a condition called uterine rupture. Nufer successfully removed the baby from Strüb's womb, and both mother and child survived.
In the centuries since Nufer's time, caesarian sections have become increasingly common. Today, caesarian sections are performed on about 30% of all births in the United States.