MIDWIFERY. 
disproportienafesize of the Child’s Head, com- 
pared with the cavity of the pelvis. Tliis 
is not mollities ossium ; but a disease whicli, 
independent of that, is capable of pro- 
ducing considerable difficulty. The dif- 
ferent size of the head will regulate the pro- 
gress of the labour. The head may be so 
large as not to pass, and this increased size 
ofthe head may be combined with a state of 
pelvis, which in shape resembles a man’s ; 
which pelvis would not admit a head of an 
ordinary size. The head may also be acci- 
dentally larger than it should be, for two 
heads of the same absolute size shall in la- 
bour prove to be of different sizes : that is, 
theffirst shall give way, and allow of com- 
pression by the soft parts ; w’hile the se- 
cond, by being more perfectly ossified, will 
not allow the bones to slip one over the 
other, as in the first instance; for which 
reason one of these two heads will, in ef- 
fect, be larger than the other. The volume 
of the head may be also increased by a de- 
scent of one or both the hands ; or it may 
occupy Undue space by a wrong position. 
In all these cases, instead of trusting to time, 
or using instruments, we may generally af- 
ford relief by introducing the fingers and 
turning the head aright. 
Independently of these difficulties there 
are others of a totally diffeient class ; and 
which produce difficulty chiefly by render- 
ing a labour more complex. The first 
which we shall notice, is the presentation of 
the unibiUcal funis. 
We have already explained that the foetal 
life is that of a fish ; that it is furnished with 
an apparatus resembling gills ; that the funis 
is analogous to the pulmonaiy arteiy and 
vein ; and that the circulation through it, if 
stopped, produces death upon the same 
principle that suffocation does to an animal 
which bfeathes. Hence the importance of 
the funis presenting. Let what part will 
present, arms, legs, shoulders, or breech, it 
is of consequence from this circumstance 
chiefly. It is of no consequence in regard 
to the woman’s safety, and all treatment is 
Applicable merely upon the simple ground 
of preserving the child’s life wliile labour 
goes forward. From whatever cause the 
funis has presented, the effect is the same, 
and the treatment must be directed by the 
circumstances of the case. Suppose the 
membranes lately broken, and the os uteri 
pretty fully dilated, the funis down. The 
best practice here, will be to turn the child, 
and bring down the feet ; as this affords the 
best chance for saving the child’s life ; though 
where this happens with the first child, it 
is as well to let it remain, for the operation 
of turning will then of itself produce the 
death of the child. Suppose the head in 
the pelvis, and the navel string pulsating in 
the vagina ; the best way is to return the 
navel-string, and follow it up with along strip 
of cloth, or handkerchief, artfully pushed 
up, so as effectually to prevent its coming 
down again ; and as this is the only chance 
that we have of keeping it above the pelvis, 
it should never be left undone ; and at 
last the head will get so far down, that it 
can be delivered by the forceps immediate- 
ly. In all cases we should recollect that 
the woman's safety never must be iiazarded 
by doing that w’hich will only obtain a pre , 
'carious chance for saving the life of the 
child. 
Plurality of Children. The disposition to 
multiply is general throughout the whole 
creation ; even in' vegetables it is not un- 
usual to see two kernels in one nut; and the 
sheep, instead of having one lamb, will 
sometimes bring two. All uniparous ani- 
mals may have tw’o young ones, though in 
some species it is more frequent than in 
others ; it is not so common for a mare to 
have two foals, as for the ewe to have two 
lambs. In the human subject tw ins occur 
once in about forty-eight labours ; this cal- 
culation is taken from the lying-in hospitals 
of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. There 
are sometimes more than two; as three, 
four, and five ; but such instances are ex- 
tremely rare. Dr. Osborn mentions a case 
where in an early miscarriage he saw six 
distinct ova, each complete ; apd there is a 
monument in Holland to a woman, who, 
the inscription declares, had .“id;) children. 
But it signifies not, whether there is one or 
365 in the uterus, for each has still its dis- 
tinct bag of membranes each its own pla- 
centa ; though sometimes the placentm are 
joined so closely, that they vvoidd almost 
seem one cake. 
'I'liere is no mark by which we can distin- 
guish twins till after the birth of one child. 
It has been said that labour is then more 
slow than at other times ; but this would 
imply that single labours were never sl6w, 
- which happens to be very far from true. 
Another opinion is,, that the woman is 
bigger than in other labours, and this would 
seem to be very natural ; but it certainly is 
not very true, but very much the contrary ; 
and many practitioners hqvp declared that 
they have never once been right in their 
opinion upon this subject. So that the dif- 
