PARTUHIENS MEDUL.LITIS. 
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intestines, and, particularly, the immense demand constantly made 
on the energies of the nervous system connected with indigestion. 
Having said thus much on the predisposing, I come now to the 
immediate cause ; and I think I shall be able to give a satisfactory 
reason why it occurs after parturition rather than at any other time. 
This is not quite an invariable rule, though sufficiently so to make 
it of consequence enough to account for it as if it were a general 
principle. The reason why they fall at this time in preference 
to any other, is owing entirely to mechanical alteration of structure. 
That there is a decided difference in the pelvic structure at this 
time is well known, and the eye of an anatomist will easily detect 
that there is a greater depression on that part of the spine most 
affected in this disease than at any other period ; and this it is 
which, superadded to existing disease in these parts, produces that 
paralysis which is the essential feature in puerperal fever. It will 
be well to notice briefly how this opinion coincides with authenti- 
cated facts. It was well observed by Mr. King, that in his practice 
no case had occurred of puerperal fever following after much manual 
labour had been exerted in the extraction of the foetus ; and this is 
borne out pretty generally by the testimony of others. Allowing 
my doctrine to be correct, the reason of this is obvious. What are 
the cases that require generally the greatest efforts in the removal 
of the young animal I The answer is plain and simple. Those in 
which there is the least alteration in the maternal structure, and 
hence there is less liability of adding injury to a part already suf- 
fering. 
I was led into the train of reasoning which induced me to adopt 
the opinion herein promulgated partly by the following circum- 
stance. It will serve to illustrate another important fact, equally 
as generally acknowledged as the one just mentioned. 
The circumstance I allude to is, that cows that slip their calves 
are seldom attacked by this specific disease. There are exceptions 
to this rule also, and that which I am about to mention is one. I 
was called in to look at a cow belonging to a gentleman in Walsall, 
that had slipped her calf. Though it was an immature foetus, yet the 
cow was some time unwell, and was a long time in expelling it. 
I saw her fortunately just before she fell, and the first thing that 
struck me was the decided alteration' in structure which I have 
before mentioned — a very great sinking of the lumbar vertebrae, 
equal, I should j udge, to one that had gone her full time. She 
was a very fat cow, and her owner had her slaughtered soon after 
she fell. There was no disease whatever apparent but of the 
medulla spinalis : the membranes of it were very turgid, and 
the portion contained in part of the dorsal and lumbar vertebrae 
was much softened. Here, then, this fact seemed to point out 
