It is imperative to examine, first, the husband's semen to see that it contains spermatozoa. The moral side of the question must also be looked into, for this is a delicate operation, only to be done under peculiar circumstances.
If it is to be performed, when is the best time? As near as possible to the close of the menstrual flow, or two or three days thereafter. When done, the woman must lie on her back in bed perfectly quiet for two or three hours. If she menstruate next month. perform it over again. The first attempt is not always successful, and several injections were made by those who have succeeded.
Gigon considers the contra-indications to be, hereditary diseases, cancer, tuberculosis, epilepsy, scrofula, syphilis, lunacy, abnormalities of the pelvis, indeed, anything that may interfere with the vitality of the foetus or render expulsion impossible.
or gestation, is the condition a woman is in from the time of fecundation until the expulsion of the foetus at term.
Meanwhile, there occurs, in the economy and organs of the mother, changes that we will separately study. Some of these are peculiar to the mother, others depend on the growth of the ovum, and its change into a foetus.
Pregnancy is studied in two great classes: 1. Local and general phenomena caused to the mother by gestation.
2. Development of the ovum and formation of the foetus.
Some have divided pregnancy into healthy, natural, normal or uterine, and extra-uterine. • It is simple when there is one foetus, multiple when there are two or more children. It may be twin, tri-, quadri-, or quiti-gemellar.
It may also be pathological or complicated. By this is understood the presence of tumors of various kinds in the uterus or its appendages, or in the abdominal cavity.
There is also a false pregnancy; but, as Pajot says, there is, or is not pregnancy, and that those who claim a false pregnancy have been guilty of an error in diagnosis. During pregnancy there occurs a train of dis eases and accidents, and also physiological phenomena, which may soon become pathological. Hence complicated and pathological pregnancies will be considered separately.
Our course of study is shown in the following table, taken from Dubois and Pajot.