ERGOT. 
is unduly exerted, labor is precipitated, and expulsion of the 
child through unprepared, unyielding parts must lead to rup¬ 
tures of the utero-vaginal canal—first of all, rupture of the 
perineum; probably with almost equal frequency, laceration 
of the cervix, which may be due to the rigidity caused by 
ergot, as well as to hastened labor. Should this not occur, 
should the fibers of the os not yield and those of the fundus 
be drawn more firmly in tonic contraction, like bands of 
steel, about the ovum, already compressed to its utmost, they 
must burst, and rupture of the uterus result. 
Such are the dangers to which the use of ergot exposes: 
laceration of the cervix, rupture of the perineum (more rarely, 
vesico- and recto-vaginal fistulse), rupture of the uterus, death 
or asphyxia of the child. To prove this with positive cer¬ 
tainty is almost impossible. The patient herself is entirely in 
the dark as to cause and effect, and the physician is equally 
innocent, or he would shrink from the use of this dangerous 
poison. As I have myself twice seen rupture of the uterus 
and the death of mother and child thus caused, I am con¬ 
vinced that the lesser injuries are but too numerous. 
If given, as advocated by some, during or immediately 
before the passage of the head, at a time when the funis is 
so exposed to pressure, evil consequences may still ensue, 
especially asphyxia of the child—as it is not always possible 
to say just how long this state will last—the idea being that 
the drug should not take effect until after expulsion. 
How often is ergot, however, given in the early stages, 
before a correct diagnosis is made, to hasten labor, in presenta¬ 
tion of the breech or the shoulder, when the ovum will not 
descend and labor does not progress with sufficient rapidity! 
In breech presentations, where the first stage should be, if 
anything, retarded, the death of the child will result; should 
the shoulder present, version will become difficult or impos¬ 
sible, and rupture of the uterus may ensue. 
In the third stage of labor, after delivery of the child, 
the efforts of nature are in every way aided by the action of 
ergot; contraction is furthered, the separation of the after- 
M I S SOURI 
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