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membranes, and having burst as it were the prison- 

 bars, emerges into light. 



The first thing that appears of a foetus is the placenta, 

 like a little cloud on one side of the outer coat ofthe egg. 

 About the same time, the spine becomes visible; and alittle 

 after, the brain and cerebellum appear like two small 

 bladders. Next the eyes stand prominent in the head : 

 then the punctual saliens, the heart beating is plainly 

 to be seen; and last of all, the extremities. When 

 formed, the foetus lying in the womb, is almost of an 

 oval figure. For the head hangs down with the 

 chin upon the breast. Its back is round. With its 

 arms it embraces the knees, .which are drawn up to 

 the belly, and its heels are close to the buttocks. Us 

 head is upwards and its face to the mother's belly. 

 About the ninth month, the head, which till then was 

 lighter, becomes heavier than any other part. In con- 

 sequence of this the head falls down, in the liquor that 

 contains it ; the feet get loose, and the face turns to. 

 ward the mother's back. But being now in an un- 

 easy posture, it struggles arid brings on the mother's 

 throes. 



Mr. Dodart, nicely observing an embryo, one and 

 twenty days old, found the placenta more than half 

 of the whole ; and thence concludes the younger the 

 embryo is, the larger is the placenta in proportion to 

 it : a plain reason, why miscarriages, though the 

 foetus is less, ure more dangerous than regular delive- 

 ries. For though the embryo in a miscarriage makes 

 a way sufficient for itself, it does not make a way for 

 so large a placenta as is to follow it. 



The embryo itself was only seven lines long, from 

 the top ofthe head to the bottom of the spine, where 

 it terminated. The thighs were not unfolded : they 

 only appeared like two warts at the bottom of the 

 trunk. The arms made the same appearance on the 

 shoulders. The head was one third of the whole 

 length. On this were two small black points, which 

 would have been eyes. The mouth was very big ; a 



