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444 ESOTERIC ANTHROPOLOGY.
her back, with her knees drawn up a little. Then,
sitting by the side of the bed, I turn up my cuffs,
moisten or oil the forefinger of the hand nearest her,
and passing it under the bed-clothes, I carefully and
delicately move it along the thigh, separate the labia,
pass the finger up the vagina, find the mouth of the
uterus, and feel if it is expanded. If the neck of the
uterus is quite gone, and its mouth expanded to the size
of even a shilling piece, I conclude that labor is well
begun. It is best to introduce the finger during a pain,
as the patient will bear it better, and to wait until the
pain has ceased, the better to find the amount of ex
pansioh.
Satisfied that labor has really begun, I see that proper
preparations have been made. The room should be
cool, airy, and quiet. I prefer but one or two assistants,
and should wish never to have a professional nurse,
bigoted in the notions of the old school of practice. Any
sensible servant, or friend, who will follow directions, is
better than these fussy, important persons. The bed
should be hard, and protected from injury by a covering
of oil-cloth, India-rubber cloth, or blankets and sheets. I
have several towels, a long towel or abdominal bandage,
water to wash my hands, and to use for injections, etc.,
a good vagina syringe, which I put in order, so that it
will work easily, and perfectly fill, a sharp pair of
scissors, and two strong ligatures. When every thing
is in order, and on going properly, if the labor is to last
some hours, I walk about, and take it easy. Why not?
It is impossible to hurry matters—
or, if possible, very
wrong. Nature takes just as much time as is needful.
There is no better economist. It is very likely that she