om the departure of the husband for
the East Indies, consequently the period might have been longer than
287 days.

CHILDBIRTH IS A NATURAL PROCESS,

and however complicated and painful habits or disease have made it,
yet the work must be left to nature. Any efforts to assist or hurry
matters will only end in harm. The only cases where interference is
justifiable is where her powers are exhausted or some malformation
exists or malpresentation occurs. When labor is about to commence, the
womb descends into the bottom of the belly and the motions and weight
of the child will be felt much lower down than usual. If in a natural
position the head will fall to the mouth of the womb and press upon
it. This drives forward the membranes which retain the water at the
orifice, and at the proper moment they break and labor then commences.

Labor is caused by involuntary contractions of the uterus and
abdominal muscles. By their force the liquor amnii flows out, the head
of the foetus is engaged in the pelvis, it goes through it, and soon
passes out by the valve, the folds of which disappear. These different
phenomena take place in succession and continue a certain time. They
are accompanied with pains more or less severe, with swelling and
softening of the soft parts of the pelvis and external genital parts,
and with an abundant mucous secretion in the cavity of the vagina. All
these circumstances, each in its own way, favor the passage of the
foetus.

It is proper here to remark that parturition is not necessarily either
painful or dangerous. It is well known that women in an uncivilized
state suffer very little pain or disablement in bringing forth
children. Generally neither pregnancy nor labor interrupt the ordinary
avocation of the mother, except for an hour or two at the birth
itself. The suffering and debilitating influences that often attend
childbirth now are caused by our unnatural modes of living and
nonattention to the laws of health. Numerous well-authenticated
instances are known where women who had previously suffered with
severe labor in childbirth have, by attention to health and diet as
here shown, been delivered of fine healthy children with comparative
ease.

From the

BEGINNING OF PREGNANCY

more than ordinary care should be used in taking regular exercise in
the open air, being careful to avoid fatigue and overexertion. During
the whole period of pregnan