OF TRUE PREGNANCY. 123 



bnlter, hog's lard, cerate, while of eggs, or any kind of grease. 

 Mucilage is the best; but when it is not at hand, it little matters 

 what substance we have recourse to, provided it be unctuous, and 

 not irritating. 



320. There are two reasons for making use of grease in this way: 

 it would not be so easy without this precaution to penetrate into the 

 vagina; the labia, and the hairs that cover them, might be pulled, and 

 thus be to some women very painful; if the accoucheur should hap- 

 pen to have any excoriation upon his finger, he would by this means 

 be less exposed to contract syphilis, the itch, or other contagious 

 disease with which the woman might be affected. 



We should learn to touch as readily with the left hand as with the 

 right. 



321. Supposing that two fingers can appreciate the physical cha- 

 racters of a body better than one. Stein recommends the introduc- 

 tion of the fore and middle finger together: some of that writer's 

 countrymen have followed his advice; but with the exception of a 

 few very rare cases, it is never conformed to in France. The sen- 

 sation felt, instead of being clearer with two fingers, is on the con- 

 trary more confused, and the index when employed singly very cer- 

 tainly penetrates much farther than if the medius is introduced along 

 with it. 



322. In the first place, in order to introduce it, it should be held 

 straight and strongly abducted from the other finger; or these lat- 

 ter are flexed so that the thumb is placed in the palm of the hand. 

 In common, either of these two methods may be employed indiffer- 

 ently, but the former does not suit for women whose external or- 

 gans of generation are swelled, sensitive, inflamed or painful; the 

 latter is applicable to all cases, and, consequently, I think it prefer- 

 able, but that does not prevent me from using the other mode some- 

 times. 



323. It is never indispensably necessary to uncover the woman; 

 if she be lying down, the accoucheur should place himself beside her 

 bed, and the hand being put under the bed clothes, is carried up to 

 the vulva, passing beneath the ham corresponding to the hand that is 

 employed; if she is standing up, one knee should be put to the 

 floor; according to some it should be the one that corresponds to 

 the hand that is made use of, according to others it should be the 

 opposite one. The former allege the advantage of having a place 

 to rest the elbow on, and of thus obtaining more firmness and surety 

 in the requisite motions. For my part, I think we can touch very 

 well in either way; however, I have for a long time past adopted 

 the latter mode, both in my, own practice, and in my instructions; 



