66 Observations on the Natural History 



I proceed, in the first place, to notice, in detail, some 

 propositions from the pen of Dr. Vaughan, a gentleman 

 of much character and ingenuity, and who, by writing, 

 has became a teacher in the art of Midwifery. This 

 gentleman lays it down, as a part of his ground-work, 

 that " several pounds of blood are retained with the 

 mother, and transformed into foetal organization, and that 

 this fluid is the menses, reserved during ten lunar 

 months." 



Dr. Vaughan promised, that, " after giving Mr. 

 White's opinion, with its authorities, in his own lan- 

 guage, he would reply to them in detailed order." He 

 then subjoins : " It is immaterial to the present ques- 

 tion, whether the catamenia be occasioned by general 

 plethora or not ; if a given quantity of the sanguiferous 

 fluid, ordinarily discharged by essential laws" (surely 

 not a morbid hemorrhage dependent on essential laws), 

 " and retained in the pregnant state, the consequences 

 are the same." But if this given quantity be unequal 

 to the sum of the child's weight, the consequences will 

 be very dissimilar ; and that it is unequal to it, we infer 

 from the respectable testimony of Dr. Vaughan himself. 



In his footnote, he says, that " the weight of the 

 full-grown foetus, and its appendages, so far exceeds the 

 ordinary sum of the catamenia in ten lunar months, 

 that other excretions must be lessened in a considerable 

 degree." Rep. v. 6, p. 152. 



This foot-note gives to me all I contend for ; it main- 

 tains, in the face of all opposition, that there cannot 



