MIDWIFERY 
being retroverted the woman cannot make 
water ; therefore, it must be drawn off by 
the catlieter. 
When the water lias been once drawn 
off, it will be necessary to pass the catheter 
twice a day, till, by the enlarging of the 
ntenis, it rights itself. As it increases in 
size it will gradually rise, but as it may not 
be convenient for a medical practitioner to 
call twice a day for some weeks, it is some- 
times advisable to attenvpt the reducing 
it ; which is done by the patient placing 
herself on her hands and knees, when 
the two fingers of one hand should be 
passed into the vagina, and a finger of the 
other into the rectum, by which means it is 
somelimes possible to succeed. Where the 
event is left to time, the uterus is sure to 
recover its proper situation ; for which rea- 
son it is preferable to leave it. 
In attempting to reduce a retroversio 
uteri, we must re.collect always to empty the 
bladder, and never use force. 
Abortion — Miscarriage. At any time af- 
ter impregnation, abortion may take place : 
it is one of the most common complaints of 
pregnancy, whence it is matter of no small 
consequence that every practitioner should 
well understand it. 
Abortion is not peculiar to the human 
species, but they are more subject to it 
than other animals, because they lead more 
unnatural lives. W'e see, agreeably to this 
rule, that the domestic animals more fre- 
quently abort than those that are wild. In 
the human species the greatest number of 
miscarriages are between the eighth and 
twelfth week; perhaps there are more at 
the tenth week than at any other time of 
pregnancy ; but why this should happen at 
that time more frequently than any other 
we are ignorant. 
There are two kinds of constitutions 
very liable to miscarijage ; the most strong 
and the most weak. The most strong, be- 
cause there are some causes which act upon 
the vascular system : the most weak, be- 
cause many causes act through an irritability 
of the nervous system. There are also va- 
rious occasioiral causes of abortion, and 
among these we may mention sympathy. 
This has such an effect with other animals, 
that there is not a shepherd but knows that 
if one sheep abort, others will almost al- 
ways abort too. If a sheep lamb, the shep- 
herd always separates that animal from the 
flock to prevent the other ewes lambing 
before their time. One animal is thrown 
into action, because tlie other animal is 
acting. Consents, also, are common in 
animals as well as sympathies. Certain 
parts of the body are connected in disease- 
the nose with the rectum in ascarides, and 
the shoulder with the liver ; crying is known 
to produce tears in many beholders. These 
are so many instances of a fiict, which 
proves the impropriety of a pregnant wo- 
man being ever in the room with one who 
has been lately miscarrying. Yet perhaps 
the true cause of abortion is an indisposition 
in the uterus to grow after it has reached a 
certain size ; when arrived at that size con- 
tractions begin, labour pains succeed, and 
this, being accompanied with the expulsion 
of the ovum, constitutes miscarriage ; whe- 
ther this happen at the second, third, 
fourth, or fifth month, it is still abortion. 
The uterus is in some degree of the same 
nature with the bladder. In different peo- 
ple we know the bladder, without incon- 
venience, contains a different quantity of 
urine; in one person it will not, without 
his feeling uncomfortable, contain more 
than six ounces ; but that is not as much as 
it can hold, because it will, if necessity 
urges, contain four times that quantity. 
In proof, that it can dilate, every person 
may have observed that at one time the 
quantity which he retains with convenience 
will vary from that which he-retains at ano- 
ther time. It is the same with the uterus, 
which may be disposed to hold a certain 
quantity of contents only, by which the 
ovum attains not more than a certain size 
before it excites the involuntary action of 
the uterus by which the whole is expelled. 
That the disposition exists, and that this 
often produces miscarriage, appears hence, 
that many women go to the usual time of 
miscarriage, and feel all the signs of dis- 
position to abort, and yet, if they keep 
quiet for a sufficient length of time, they 
will recover, and go the full time of preg- 
nancy. This is accounted for by the dispo- 
sition in the uterus to contract at a certain 
period of gestation. Tumours also may 
cause a disposition to miscarriage ; consti- 
pation acts in the same way, for, while it 
lasts, it produces exactly the same effect 
that other tumours would. All circum- 
stances which, by increasing the circula- 
tion, keep up too great a velocity in the 
motion of the blood. Thus, violent exer- 
cise will produce miscarriage ; it will, by 
the increased motions -of the blood, sepa- 
rate a portion of the placenta from the ute- 
rus, which is very easy to conceive ; for a 
certain force, being applied to the cells of 
