MIDWIFERY. 
may still remain attached to tlie uterus to 
carry on all the purposes of life, and the 
pregnancy will go on. The constitution, if 
good, will generally bear the loss of a little 
blood ; as much should be taken as the 
patient can bear, for twelve ounces at once 
will be more effectual than sixteen ounces 
at twice in restoring the balance in the sys- 
tem. After which a saline draught may be 
given every six hours, witli about six drops 
of laudanum in each ; it is rarely useful or 
necessary to press the opiates beyond that 
quantity ; a large dose of opium will fre- 
quently increase the force of action in the 
heart and arteries, while a small one will 
keep it in the state desired. The bowels 
■must be kept lax with small doses of the 
purgative neutral salts; the patient must at 
the same time be kept quiet, with little or 
no animal food ; farinaceous decoctions, 
with vegetable nutriment, are all that should 
be taken while this state remains, as these 
do not add to the force of the circulation. 
If the abortion, instead of arising from 
these causes, and being attended with these 
symptoms, proceed from passions of the 
mind, or a relaxed state of the os uteri, 
the plan to be adopted is the use of opi- 
um, and the quantity must be consider- 
able : if it be small it will do nothing ; but if 
large, the pains in the back and uterus will 
be relieved, and the abortion quite put by. 
When a habit of miscarrying is acquired, 
tlie woman will know the period at which 
it is likely to occur, and, before that time 
come on, landamim should be bad recourse 
to, from ten to fifteen drops, increasing it 
: gradually till the time of danger is passed 
over. 
The next occurrence demanding atten- 
. tion is the haemorrhage : we see clearly 
that fainting is nature’s method of restrain- 
ing a flow of blood. In faintness we know 
the smalt vessels are constricted by the 
whiteness of the skin ; we also know that 
cold is remarkably effectual in stopping a 
flow of blood from any part, but especially 
the uterus : not only cold air, but cold wa- 
ter, and even ice, to the back, belly, and 
parts themselves ; every, thing should be 
taken cold, and congealed if possible ; ice 
creams, juices of fruit, seeds, &c. ; all the 
body should be cold, both externally and 
internally. Considerable- benefit is derived 
from ice being introduced into the vagina, 
■and replaced every two or three hours; 
this will restrain uterine hasmoriirage more 
frequently than any thing else; and if it 
do not. stop it, the constitution will .still 
be secured from tlie effects whjch a more 
profuse haemorrhage would have incurred, 
and the patient be preserved from the ex- 
cessive weakness which would have been 
the consequence of it. Where there is 
pain without hmmorrhage, there is no ne- 
cessity for being very anxious ; for in that 
sort of abortion the pains will gradually 
increase as -in labour; and the ovinn will be 
thrown off; after which the pains will gradu- 
ally go off again, and abortion must take 
place here before the pains can subside. 
it sometimes happens that there is great pain 
with the loss of blood ; and though it mqy 
be that nothing good can be done to re- 
strain the luemorrliage directly, yet assist- 
ance may be given in emptying the. uterus; 
for after the ovum has separated, some- 
times it will not come away ; in this case 
the finger of either hand may be introduced 
and some part got away ; and if this should 
not be practicable, it is sometimes possible 
to get in two fingers, and by this contriv- 
ance pass them through the os uteri, and 
reslrain the hffiinorrhage by compression. 
Should the ovum not be capable of being 
brought away whole, the membranes should 
never be broken, unless when after tfie 
fifth month, tlie child can be felt through 
them before tearing them, in which case jt 
will be possible to get hold of part of the 
foetus, and so get it through and relieve the 
■woman from danger ;Tor though in the early 
mouths abortion is not dangerous, the, dan- 
ger increases every day, and when it ad- 
mits of being treated like premature la- 
bour, it always should be, as that treatment 
ensures absolute safety to the woman ; but 
if the membranes be ruptured in any early 
abortion, or before twelve weeks, tiie 
odds are, that there will be no more pains, 
for the .waters having.escaped which formed 
tlie bulk of the ovum, nothing but the 
thin skins remain behind, and these are 
so small, that they will not stimulate the 
uterus to act, and yet the vessels will con- 
tinue to bleed. 
Abortion is prevented, in the first place, 
if by observation and knowledge of the 
patient’s life, and knowing her to have been 
subject to miscarriages, we may induce her 
to avoid the same cause which has before 
produced it. It will next be necessary to 
take care that this does not occur, even if 
the former cause is applied, by bleeding 
and opening tlie bowels, where there is 
sudden occasion, otherwise by laxatives 
and occasional bleeding only. If, on the 
contrary, there is reason to believe that the 
