OF THE FOETUS. 343 



without any efFufion of blood. Delivery, there- 

 fore, which is nothing more than this repara- 

 tion, ought to produce no haemorrhage. Is it 

 not more natural, on the concrary, to think, that 

 the action of the blood is the caufe of the birth ; 

 and that it is this mendrual blood alone which 

 forces the veflels of the empty uterus, and be- 

 gins to flow immediately after delivery, in the 

 fame manner as it did before conception ? 



We know, that, for fomc time after conception, 

 the fac which contains the product of genera- 

 tion, adheres not to tlie uterus. We have feen, 

 from the experiments of De GraafF, that, by 

 blowing upon the fmall globule, it changes its 

 pofition. The adhefion to the uterus is never 

 very ftrong : In the early periods of gcflation, 

 the placenta is flightly applied to the uterus ; 

 and thefe parts are o^Jy contiguous, or joined 

 by a mucilaginous matter, which has hardly any 

 adhefion. How, then, fliould it happen, that, 

 in abortions of the lirfl or fecond month, this 

 globule never eicapes without being attended 

 with a great cfTufion of blood ? This eiiufion 

 cannot be occalioned by the paflage of the glo- 

 bule, which has no adhefion to the uterus. It 

 is by the adtion of the blood, on the contrary, 

 that the globule is extruded. Should we not, 

 therefore, conclude, that this is the menftrual 

 blood, which, by forcing the canals through 

 which it was accuftomed to flow beibre impreg- 

 nation. 



