478 ESSAYS and OBSERVATIONS 



a great number of women in all the dif- 

 ferent times of pregnancy, from fix to nine 

 months gone with child; and in the greater 

 number of them I felt the head down ; 

 and Dr Smellie and Mr Hunter afTure me, 

 they have generally] obferved the fame 

 thing: So that this feems to be rather 

 what ought to be called the natural fitu^ 

 ation. If the child be fometimes in the 

 ere61 fituation, and its head falls down, I 

 cannot think that this change of pofture 

 is owing to its greater weight at this, 

 more than at any other time ; for the 

 head of a foetus is proportionally larger 

 and heavier, the younger it is ; but to the 

 child, through a natural inftindl, endea- 

 vouring to avoid the prelTure which its 

 head will fuffer by the contraction of the 

 bottom of the womb, and the detrufion 

 of the diaphragm during labour-pains, 

 and that, by being turned, its feet may 

 ^cl with advantage, by pufhing againit 

 the fundt'j uta i, to affiffc the delivery. 



The enlargement- of the veins of the 

 womb during pregnancy, is really far- 

 prifing, as. may be judged by obferving 



their 



