THE FORCEPS. 467 



thought it would be well to have two forceps, one very short, to be 

 applied to the head when already down in the excavation, and the 

 other rather longer, having a concave edge, for the purpose of pene- 

 trating as far as the superior strait. 



Levret, on his part, introduced such important modifications of 

 the forceps, that he in some sort made a new instrument of it, 

 which is still known in the science as Levrefs forceps. Like all 

 tlie others this forceps is composed of two branches: one called the 

 male branch, which I ])refer to call the left branch, and the other the 

 female branch, which I shall call the right branch; the blade of each 

 is largely fenestrated, has a bead or blunt crest on the circumfer- 

 ence of its concave surface, and on one of its edges exhibits a 

 curve which corresponds with the curve of the axes of the pelvis. 



The handles, which are entirely metallic, and not quite so long as 

 the blades, terminate by a flattened hook. At the place where they 

 cross there is a flat surface, a pivot and a mortise, which admit of 

 their being firmly united, and prevent them from sliding on each 

 other when they are once applied; 



1051. Since the time of Levret and Smellie the forceps has un- 

 dergone numerous changes, without speaking of those of Roederer, 

 Crantz, Walbaum, Johnson, Fried, Stein, Leake, Plenck, and an 

 infinity of others, the figures of which may be seen in the treatise of 

 MuUer. We have the jointed forceps of Saxtorph, which in other 

 respects very closely resembles SmelUe's instrument; that of Cou- 

 touly, also jointed, but at the same time much more complex than 

 the former, and which admits of various shaped blades beir^ fixed 

 to the same handle, according to circumstances; another one, by the 

 same accoucheur, for the handle of which there is substituted a trans- 

 verse metallic hilt, and which, in consequence of the manner in 

 which the branches are united, must act like a lever of the third kind; 

 that of Baudelocque, or Pean, Avhich differs from Levret's only in 

 being rather longer; the forceps of Thenance, the branches of which 

 need not be crossed, and which unite near to the curved end of the 

 handle, and is thus converted into a lever of the third kind, like one 

 of those of Coutouly. The two forceps of M. Dubois; that of Bru- 

 latour, jointed by a peculiar mechanism; that of Bruninghausen, the 

 pivot of which is replaced by a sort of round-headed nail, and with 

 very small fenestres in the blades; then the forceps of Meryen, which 

 is also jointed; then that of Doctor Guillon, also jointed, and which 

 has no need of a movable pivot in order to be united, and contains 

 in its handle a pelvi-cephalometer, blunt hooks, sharp crotchets, a 

 perforator, and an extractor. Lastly, MM. Capuron, Maygrier, 



