ecords of 5 and 6 at a birth are extremely rare and
infinitesimal in proportion. The reputed births in excess of 6 must be
looked on with suspicion, and, in fact, in the great majority of
reports are apochryphal.

The examples of multiple births of a single pregnancy will be taken up
under their respective numbers, several examples of each being given,
together with the authorities. Many twin and triplet brothers have
figured prominently in history, and, in fact, they seem especially
favored. The instance of the Horatii and the Curatii, and their famous
battle, on which hung the fate of Rome and Alba, is familiar to every
one, their strength and wisdom being legendary with the Romans.

Twins and triplets, being quite common, will not be considered here,
although there are 2 cases of interest of the latter that deserve
citation. Sperling reports 2 instances of triplets; in the first there
was 1 placenta and chorion, 2 amnions, and the sex was the same; in the
second case, in which the sexes were different, there were 3 placentas,
3 chorions, and 3 amnions. What significance this may have is only a
matter of conjecture. Petty describes a case of triplets in which one
child was born alive, the other 2 having lost their vitality three
months before. Mirabeau has recently found that triple births are most
common (1 to 6500) in multiparous women between thirty and thirty-four
years of age. Heredity seems to be a factor, and duplex uteruses
predispose to multiple births. Ross reports an instance of double
uterus with triple pregnancy.

Quadruplets are supposed to occur once in about every 400,000 births.
There are 72 instances recorded in the Index Catalogue of the Surgeon
General's Library, U. S. A., up to the time of compilation, not
including the subsequent cases in the Index Medicus. At the Hotel-Dieu,
in Paris, in 108,000 births, covering a period of sixty years, mostly
in the last century, there was only one case of quadruplets. The
following extract of an account of the birth of quadruplets is given by
Dr. De Leon of Ingersoll, Texas:--

"I was called to see Mrs. E. T. Page, January 10, 1890, about 4 o'clock
A.M.; found her in labor and at full time, although she assured me that
her 'time' was six weeks ahead. At 8 o'clock A.M. I delivered her of a
girl baby; I found there were triplets, and so informed her. At 11 A.M.
I delivered her of the second girl, after having rectified
presentation, which was singular, fa