655 
of Edinburgh, Session 1871 - 72 . 
of its frequent existence there can be no doubt whatever. Its 
presence is indicated by the deflexion of the uterus from the 
mesial line to the right or to the left ; and it is well known to be 
observed at all times — that is, before, during, and after pregnancy; 
but as this paper is concerned only with dynamical matters, this 
deflexion or deviation is interesting only as observed during labour. 
On the direction of this deflexion, to right or to left, I have no 
remarks to make, but I may refer the student first to the recent 
paper on this subject by Winkler,* and then to the earlier obser- 
vations of Spiegelberg f on this uterine position during labour. 
For my present purpose it is more important to have some idea of 
the amount of deflexion which occurs. With a view to ascertain 
it, however imperfectly, I examined a series of cases which I found 
to present this condition. I did not, in all of these cases, make 
out whether or not the deflexion persisted during uterine action ; 
but I ascertained that it did so in some of them. I hope to make 
further observations on this point, but such an inquiry is not essen- 
tial to my present purpose, it being sufficient to know that the devia- 
tion does generally persist during the so-called erection of the 
uterus in a pain. 
I proceeded as follows. Having the pregnant woman lying flat 
on her back, I made out the position of the uterus by feeling its 
outline with my hands ; this manipulation shortly induced a pain 
which made the uterine form more distinct than previously; and 
then I could observe the outline mark the projection of the direc- 
tion of the axis on the skin, and notice its just incidence on the 
outline of the fundus. Then I measured off, as on a plane, the 
angle between the projection of the axis and the vertical line join- 
ing theensiform cartilage and the symphysis pubis. I did not try 
to have guidance from feeling the uterine angles and the parts 
attached thereto, as Winkler has done in similar circumstances, 
because I thought that such guidance would not ensure greater 
approach to accuracy in the measurements I wished to make with 
a view to purely dynamical considerations. 
This angle I found in five cases to be 8, 10, 11, 14, 15 degrees 
respectively, or on an average about 10 degrees. The problem now 
* Jenaische Zeitschrift, iv. Band. S. 522. 1868. 
t Monatsschrift fiir Geburtskunde, xxix. Band. S. 92. 1867. 
