654 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1775. 



XXX. Of an extraordinary Acephalous Birth. By TV. Cooper, M. D. p. 311. 

 Mrs. Brackett, of Clerkenwell-close, aged 23 years, was, at the end of her 

 first pregnancy, by a natural labour, delivered of a perfect female child, on 

 Friday the 8th of October, 1773, at 7 o'clock in the morning. The attending 

 midwife, Mrs. Ayres, soon perceived by the abdominal tumour that there was 

 another child. After waiting about 3 hours, a flooding came on ; but without 

 pain, or any advancement of the 2d delivery. The haemorrhage producing 

 faintness, debility, and danger, the attendants and midwife were alarmed, and 

 Dr. C. was sent for. When he came, he found her in the situation above des- 

 cribed ; and therefore thought it his duty to accomplish the remaining part of 

 the labour, as soon as he could, consistently with the safety of the mother. On 

 all occasions, when the concomitant circumstances render it necessary to turn a 

 child in utero, it is of the utmost consequence to understand, as nearly as we 

 can, its general situation, in order to deliver with the greater ease, safety, and 

 expedition. And to an experienced accoucheur, if the breech, knees, or feet, 

 do not immediately present themselves, the head and face of the child will, in 

 most cases, be a sufficient index to the position of the other parts of its body. 

 This circumstance arises from the foetus commonly coiling itself up into an 

 oblong, oval, snug, compact figure, with its knees towards its chin, in order to 

 take up as little room as possible, by being adapted to the cavity of the uterus. 

 In the present case, when the patient was placed in a proper situation, having 

 introduced his hand as gently as possible through the vagina, cervix uteri, and 

 enveloping membranes, and no part of the inferior extremities or breech pre- 

 senting itself. Dr. C. examined carefully for the head of the child, as usual, but 

 without success. This disappointment somewhat embarrassed him. But as the 

 woman's situation was become very serioos by the increasing uterine hasmorrhage, 

 he attempted without delay to get at the feet. He easily secured one of them ; 

 but though he made use of very little force in bringing it towards the os exter- 

 num, the structure was so very tender that the tibia began to give way at its su- 

 perior epiphysis. On this account he was reduced to the disagreeable necessity 

 of again introducing his hand into the uterus ; and as one leg had thus unex- 

 pectedly failed him, he thought it extremely futile to attempt any thing with the 

 other. The most eligible resource which he apprehended he had now left, was 

 to fix a blunt hook on one groin, and, when it was brought low enough, to 

 assist gently at the other, with the 2 fore-fingers of his right hand. By these 

 means he happily accomplished the delivery of the remaining foetus, which 

 proved to be a very singular kind of monster. And as the late ingenious Mr. 

 Hewson injected its blood vessels, and dissected it, DrJ C. was enabled to attempt 

 a short anatomical description of it, for the satisfaction of the curious in 

 philosophy and physiolog}'. 



