PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 477 



almoft intirely covered by thefe mem-» 



^ranes. 



Th e oblique fituation of the foetus, the 

 pre'3:, or what is generally called the natu- 

 ral one, in the two I faw formerly, the 

 tranfverfe one of Nortwyk and Cowper, 

 perfuade me, there is no determined fitu-" 

 ation for a foetus, as is commonly thought? 

 but that it may change places in its iiir- 

 rings, as women generally feel. 



It has long been the received opinion, 

 that foetufes are moftly placed in the 

 womb, in what is called the ere(5l or na* 

 tural fituation j that is, with the child's 

 forepart towards the mother's belly ; its 

 head uppermofl, and reclined forwards 

 and downwards, and that in the laft 

 months of pregnancy, or immediately be- 

 fore birth, the head, by its weight, falls 

 down towards the w uteri ; {q that the face 

 of the child is turned towards the os fa- 

 crinn of the mother, and in this manner is 

 delivered. All this account, both of the 

 child's pofition, and falling down of the 

 head, I muft doubt of; for, when Ij|at- 

 tended cturfbs of midwifery j^ I examined 



