HYGIENIC TREATMENT. 345 



. becomes engaged in the superior strait, the emission becomes more 

 and more difficult, in consequence of the compression which the 

 bas-fond of the bladder soon suffers; it may therefore be supposed 

 that if the delivery is protracted, the retention of the urine may be 

 followed by a painful distension of the bladder, and that the woman, 

 who is restrained by the fear of increasing her pain, will cease to bear 

 down, except very moderately. The action of the abdominal mus- 

 cles, as it can then be transmitted to the womb only through a 

 stratum of fluid, ceases to be so efficacious, or if the woman gives 

 herself up without reserve to the whole force of the exertions she 

 is capable of making, there may be reason to fear a rupture of the 

 bladder, a terrible accident, which is almost necessarily mortal. 



The woman should therefore be advised to evacuate the bladder 

 while she is still able to do so, and if the natural efforts are insuffi- 

 cient to effect the object, the catheter should be employed for that 

 purpose. We are in such cases sometimes obliged, in consequence 

 of the shortness and slight curve of the female catheter, to make 

 use of a male one; but if we take care to push the fundus of the 

 womb backwards with one hand, whilst we try to introduce the in- 

 strument with the other, I do not think that the flat catheter which 

 is recommended by some of the English physicians, can ever be in- 

 dispensably necessary. 



820. The period of labor is, without contradiction, one in which 

 the moral state of women demands the greatest attention; conse- 

 quently, we ought with all possible care to abstract whatever may 

 be disagreeable to them, or likely to vex them, and to respect even 

 their caprices and the oddities of their characters. 



None should be permitted to remain in the room except those 

 persons who are indispensably necessary; that is, one, or at most, 

 two friends, the nurse, and accoucheur. More than these would 

 render the air impure; some could not bear the spectacle of suf- 

 fering without reflecting the impress of it from their countenance^ 

 others could not keep their tongues still, would always have a sup- 

 ply of stories of dreadful cases, and a thousand imprudent things 

 to say; at one while, that Mrs. such-a-one was delivered of a mon- 

 ster, or neighbor such-a-one died with convulsions ; at another, 

 they delivered Mrs. so-and-so with instruments, &c. ; from ten- 

 derness or real interest or affectation, they grow quite sad, and la-, 

 ment over the possible consequences of the lying-in; and whisper 

 or talk in a low tone, or at least they sit gloomy and silent, and 

 merely throw a furtive glance of pity towards the woman in la- 

 bor, who, as she is almost always disposed to make an evil inter- 

 pretation of all that is said and done about her, every moment 



