The Detection of the Sounds of tne • Child's Heart is a sign which affords unmis takable evidence of pregnancy. The beating of the child's heart may be detected about the eighteenth week of pregnancy. It is found by placing the ear on the belly at a part.midway between the navel and the bony part at the bottom of the belly, and a little either to the left or right. Instead of applying the ear directly, the stethoscope is commonly used. The beat is distii.guished from the pulse of the mother by its rapidity. It generally ranges from 130 to 160 per minute, and is more rapid in female than in male children. The position mentioned is the one in which the sound is heard, because at this stage of pregnancy the child is usually placed head downwards, with its back forwards and to the left or right, usually to the left. Some portion of its back is thus brought into contact with the front wall of the womb, and as the womb is in con tact with the belly wall the sound is conducted. The child may, however, be lying in some un usual position, so that the sound is not con ducted to the place mentioned, and it may be difficult to find any part of the belly wall at which it is heard. While, therefore, the detec
tion of the sound is conclusive evidence of the presence of a child and of its life, the non detection must not be taken as conclusive evi dence of there being no pregnancy or of the death of the child. It will therefore be understood that this is a sign requiring to be sought for by a skilled person.
There are other signs a physician would en deavour to find to confirm his view of the pre sence or absence of pregnancy, but it is needless to detail them here.
On the whole, then, it will be evident that it is not always an easy matter to settle de finitely whether a person be pregnant or not. The absence of the monthly illness, the occur rence of morning sickness, of changes in the breasts, and of enlargement of the belly may lead one to entertain a strong positive opinion, and yet that opinion may be mistaken. If, however, a competent person detects with cer tainty the beating of the child's heart, continued doubt is not possible. This cannot, however, be detected much before the fifth mouth. The necessity for caution in coming to any con clusion, particularly in certain circumstances, cannot, therefore, be too strongly insisted on.