AUTENREITH'S ADDKESS. 9 



foretells the time of parturition in the cow by the greater mobility of the an- 

 terior coccygeal vertebrae, though concealed by their intimate relation to the 

 abdomen, and by the elevation of these bones. Harvey already had said in 

 the chapter on the exterior part of the uterus of the fowl, " in animals with 

 tails, the birth cannot take place without the elevation of the tail ;" these cir- 

 cumstances, however, in women, merely render the birth easier ; but a defi- 

 ciency, in this respect can in no way impede the birth in her. The elongated 

 head of the fetus in the lower mammals, its lengthened form generally, not 

 enclosed in spherical, but in a lengthened cylindrical shaped uterus, seems to 

 be the cause why the smaller pelvis of quadrupeds forms a semi- canal in many 

 species, the symphysis of the pubis being much prolonged, presenting merely 

 a smooth (inconsiderable) incision or fissure between the tuberosities of the 

 bones of the ischium to the chin (bent downwards) of the coming foetus. In 

 the genus mus the foetus is gross or thickheaded, and its general form is also 

 less elongated than in some other animals ; but in this genus it also happens 

 that the symphysis of the smaller pelvis is very short, and the so called 

 ascending branches of the os ischium are in it united at a right angle to the 

 descending branches of the os pubis, so that the smaller pelvis looks as if it 

 had been cut across with a knife, and to have attained to only a half of its 

 usual size. 



It now remains that I say a few' words regarding the narrow and elongated 

 bones of the ilium, and which are more nearly parallel to the os sacrum in 

 their length than in man, present in those species of animals in which the an- 

 terior wall of the pelvis is very short, as in the genus mus, hedgehog, etc. ; 

 and which are found even in those animals which walk like man, supported on 

 two feet, as in the gigantic Didelphis. On the other hand, the elephant has 

 the bones of the ilium very short, but very broad, and strongly resembling the 

 human. The elephant and mankind agree not only in this respect, but also in 

 this other circumstance, that the foetus in both has a very large rounded head, 

 in which the jaws are withdrawn as it were beneath the basis of the cranium, 

 an arrangement of structure calculated to influence greatly the form of the 

 uterus, and hence perhaps rendering this form of pelvis necessary ; but these 

 two wisest of animals agree also in this, that they both have the thigh bones 

 disengaged or free of the trunk and straight, whilst in most other animals these 

 bones lie hid, as it were, enclosed entirely or partially within the abdominal 

 region, compressed and bent ; this happens even in the gigantic Didelphis. The 

 bear, in whom the thigh bones are more disengaged from the trunk than in 

 the other fervse, has the os ilium also broader than they have. The muscles 

 which proceed from the external surface of the os ilium to the trochanter 

 major of the femur, would either be too tense (as the remotest portion of the 

 gluteus maximus), or would sometimes be too short when contracted, some- 

 times too long in extension of the thigh (as the gluteus medius), if the os ilium 

 of animals, broad as in man, should, notwithstanding, coincide with a thigh 

 bone hid as it were in the abdominal region and bent as in them, no alteration 

 having taken place in the insertion of the muscles. But an elongated and 

 narrow os ilium, with its abdominal or inferior portion as it were entirely 

 wanting or deficient, does not interfere with this bent position of the thigh 

 bones. Moreover these bent, compressed, very broad, and closely approxi- 



