UNNATURAL PARTURITION. 499 



must have been considerably bruised, I fixed it sufficiently firmly 

 to draw the head into the cavity of the pelvis. Here for a while 

 the shoulder resisted every attempt which I could make without 

 the danger of detruncating the foetus. At length by working at 

 the side of the head until my nails were soft and my fingers 

 sore, I extracted one fore leg. The other was soon brought down ; 

 another large puppy was produced, but destroyed by the means 

 necessary for its production. This was the fruit of two hour's 

 hard work. 



" She was completely exhausted, and scarcely able to stand. 

 When placed on the ground she staggered and fell at almost 

 every step. Her efforts to void her urine were frequent and 

 ineffectual. 



" At four o'clock I again examined her ; the external pudenda 

 were sore and swelled, and beginning to assume a black hue. It 

 was with considerable difficulty that I could introduce my finger. 

 A third foetus irregularly presented was detected. I could just 

 feel one of the hind legs. No time was to be lost. I introduced 

 a small pair of forceps by the side of my finger, and succeeded in 

 laying hold of the leg without much difficulty, and, with two or 

 three weak efforts from the mother, — I could scarcely call them 

 pains, — I brought the leg down until it was in the cavity of the 

 pelvis. I solicited it forward with my finger, and, by forcibly press- 

 ing back the labia pudendi, I could just grasp it with the finger 

 and thumb of the right hand. Holding it there, I introduced the 

 finger of the right hand, and continued to get down the other 

 leg, and then found little difficulty until the head was brought to 

 the superior edge of the pelvis. After a long interval, and with 

 considerable force, this was brought into the pelvis, and another 

 puppy extracted. This fully occupied two hours. 



"The bitch now appeared almost lifeless. As she was unable 



