not to rend the foetus, or tear it away, but to
gently pull it through the vagina, using only so much
violence as the judgment assures us is imperative for the
accomplishment of the purpose."

On reflection, I am inclined to think the measures adopted in the case
narrated above were somewhat more precipitate than they ought to have
been. Now, I should have taken more time; and the success does not assure
me that the haste exhibited was fully warranted.

It is not always easy to ascertain when the whole of the pups have been
removed. The last in the womb, always occupying the extremity of one of
the horns of the uterus, may by an inexperienced practitioner be
overlooked. Most persons seek to learn whether the labor has been
perfected, by inserting the finger up the vagina; and they who base their
opinions upon an "_examination_" of that description will often be
deceived. External manipulation will best lead us to the knowledge we
desire to gain; and when the hand is properly directed, an approach to
certainty can be obtained. The pup to be felt through the walls of the
abdomen is an uneven body; the inequalities caused by the limbs being
detected. After parturition there is generally one thing that may be
mistaken, which is the contraction of the body of the uterus. The first
pup born occupied that situation, and on its expulsion the part of the
womb it filled narrows, becoming thick and somewhat hard. Under the
fingers, it conveys the idea of a solid substance, and it may be imagined
to be another foetus. It is too frequently seized when the forceps are
ignorantly and violently employed. The womb has been repeatedly forcibly
dragged forth, and its integrity destroyed. A mistake of this kind is
fatal. The rupture of the uterus is followed by sickness and a cessation
of the throes; while the hemorrhage from the laceration induces
inflammation that destroys the life; therefore, when forcible means are
determined upon, extreme care is required, and forceps, as a general rule,
had better be dispensed with. As regards other means--such as the tube and
wire, the crotchet, the supports to the abdomen, and the employment of
stimulants--these must be regulated by the circumstances of the case.

The appearance of the bitch will generally denote when the births are
completed. She, after the last of the litter has been born, seems to be
much rejoiced, and by her manner indicates she has no more business at
present to