PARTURITION. 697 
vis is fo extreme, that a marble, meafuring lefs than one cept that the abftained from fifti, cheefe, and fruit • the 
inch in diameter, cannot be made to pafs through it in tiled a great deal of fait, but very little acids. The pelvis 
any direction. In this cafe, and fome others of a fimilar was very fingular, as having but little of the cretaceous 
nature, the casfarean feftion was the means of preferring- matter in the fubftance of the bones ; on which account 
the child. they were fo loft and fpongy when frelh, that a finger 
Perhaps this was the deformed pelvis taken from the might very eafily be palled through molt parts of them 
body of Mary Rhodes, on whom the casfarean operation and there was no difficulty in cutting them with a knife • 
had been performed by Mr. Thompfon of the London but, when perfectly dried, their fubftance became con- 
Hofpital, Odtober 21, 1769. She expired five hours after fiderably firmer. This difeafe had diminiffied her ftature 
the operation. The child was taken from the uterus At the time (lie married flie was perfectly ftraight very 
alive. See London Medical Obfervations and Enquiries, thin, and meafured five feet four inches in height ■ fome 
vol.iv. in which the particulars of all the fymptoms pre- months before her death (lie meafured four°feet four 
vious to andat the operation are related, with two fepa- inches only, and Ihe ftooped fo much latterly as to no¬ 
rate engravings of the pelvis. Mr. Hogben has given a pear to be little more than three feet hi°ffi. Mrs. Eliza- 
figure of it, which is 'different-from either ; it exhibits a beth Forfter was born Nov. 25, 1738. During her infancy 
front view; although the fymphyiis pubis was not bent, Ihe was of very weak habit of body, but never attacked 
it was fo clofe to the vertebrae, that the diftance between with rickets : as ffie grew up, Ihe'ftill retained rather a 
it and the projection of the facrum meafured only feven- feeble conftitution, but a great lhare of natural fpfrits 
eighths of an inch ; from the termination of the coccy- and vivacity; file was an uniform pattern of temperance 
gis to the lower part of thefymphyfis pubis, one inch and and fobriety. Her lower extremities were not at all bent 
feven-eighths. Dr. Cooper obferves of this cafe : “ Mar- probably through her inability to ufe them fince ber¬ 
tha Rhodes was much deformed, being only about four violent rheumatic fever; fo that the diminution of her 
feet four inches high ; her back very hollow, her hips ftature muft have been caufed entirely by the various 
narrow, and lower extremities crooked.” She was mar- diftortions of the fpine and pelvis. 
ried in Oflober 1768, and mifcarried the Chriftmas fol- _ We (hall, in a future article, give a moft remarkable 
lowing. She became foon afterwards a fecond time preg- inftance of general deformity produced by mollities of emu 
rant, and was attacked with labour-pains about the time brought on by the eating of fait. 
her reckoning expired. Upon introducing a finger into Whenever, on repeated examination of a woman in 
the vagina, the firft thing that prefented itfelf to the touch labour, the accoucheur finds the pelvis diftorted to the 
was an unufual projeftion of the os facrum and inferior degree defcribed above, he fhould apprife the hufband 
lumbar vertebrae; which, being extremely prominent, of the dangerous ftate of the woman, and defire the af- 
liad very much the feel of a child’s head. For farther filtance of one or two of the moft experienced perfons in 
particulars, we refer to the above-quoted volume of Med. the profeffion ; and, if on a confultation it fliould appear 
Qbf. _ that it is impoffible to bring the child by the natural paf- 
The following is a ftill more remarkable apd deplora- fage, the hulband fitould be made acquainted with the 
ble cafe. The patient’s name was Mrs. Elizabeth Forfter; nature of the impediment, and fliould be informed that 
her age 36 years; and the deformity was occafioned by there remains no hope of preferving the life of the woman 
that dreadful and unaccountable difeafe, the mollities of- and child, but by opening the abdomen of the woman 
feum. The operation was performed by the late Mr. and extracting the child through the wound. At the 
Hunter, Aug. 13, 1774.. The patient did not furvive fame time acquainting him, that the operation, thou°h 
more than twenty-fix hours ; but the child was preferved. hazardous, is not neceflarily fatal, many women who 
The particulars are mentioned in the London Medical fubmitted to it having recovered ; and that the hope of a 
Obfervations and Enquiries, vol. v. p.217. 1776. Mr. favourable termination depends on its being performed 
Hogben, in the Plates to his Obftetrical Studies, has early, before fever comes on, or any material injury is 
given a figure alfo of this pelvis; upon infpeftion of done to the uterus or neighbouring parts. Ifthehuf- 
which, it muft readily be conceived that a child could band fhould be fatisfied of the neceffity of the operation, 
not pafs through it, by reafon of its contracted fhape. the woman fhould then be apprifed of her lituation in 
The diftance from the neareft projecting part of the fpine, the moft cautious manner; and, having obtained her 
to the part where the pubes and ilium unite on the right confent, a clyfter is to be thrown up to evacuate the 
fide, meafured only one inch ; and that on the left one contents of the bowels, and the bladder emptied through 
inch and three-eighths. From the internal diftorted point a catheter, and a few drops of the tinCture of opium 
of the os pubis on the right fide, to the centre of the ver- given to quiet pain as much as poffible, prior to the 
tebrse, one inch and three-eighths ; and between the fame operation, the manner of performing which, is thus de- 
of the left fide, one inch and a half. The diftance from fcribed by Mr. Thompfon, late furgeon to the London 
the two bent-in parts of the ofla pubis, only a quarter of Hofpital, in the fame volume of the Med. Obf. which 
an inch. “ Upon a careful examination during a pain, contains the firft of the above cafes. 
(fays Dr. H.) I found the os tines thin, yielding, anddi- An incifion is to be made on the right or left fide of 
lated to nearly the bignefs of a {hilling : the liquor amnii the navel, whichever happens to be moft prominent, fix 
had come away about an hour, and the head of the child inches in length ; the middle of the incifion to be about 
was juft: perceptible to the touch ; but the pelvis appeared level with the navel, from which it fliould be diftant a 
to me fo extremely narrow and ill-formed as not to ad- hand’s breadth. Firft cut through the ikin, then through 
mit of a poffibility for the child to be delivered even by the tendinous expanfion of the abdominal mufcles, and 
embryulcia; the csefarean operation feemed therefore the the peritonaeum. The uterus being now brought to 
only alternative.” She was married April 16, 1759; at view, a fmall opening mull be made, to enable the ope- 
which time Ihe enjoyed a tolerably good ftate of health, rator to pafs his forefinger as a guide for the knife, in 
Previous to the operation Ihe had mifcarried once, and extending it to the fize of the external wound; an af- 
had borne many children; but in her two laft labours fiftant muft then introduce his hand, and bring away the 
the head of the child was obliged to be reduced before child, and the placenta. This being effected, an affiftant 
delivery could be accomplilhed. Latterly her indifpofi- muft keep in the bowels, which would otherwife pro- 
tion (which Ihe attributed to a fevere cold contradled trude, while the operator makes the gaftroraphy, or lu- 
by going into a damp houfe recently repaired) was ac- ture of the belly. Proper bandages are theq to be applied, 
companied with a violent rheumatic fever, which con- and the woman put to bed. The cure to be conducted 
tinned about fix weeks; and from that period ffie dated in the fame manner as after other operations. Medical 
her extreme weaknefs and deformity of body. Obf. and Inquiries , vol. iv. p. 271. 
There was nothing particular in her general diet, ex- A cafe in which the operation was performed with a 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1275. 8 P favourable 
