Giffard has recorded two cases of face presentation (_Cases in Midwifery_, 1734, p. 59, 443.,) both of which he delivered by his extractor, which was one of the early forms of midwifery forceps; and in both, although the labour had lasted some time, the child was alive. He describes the position of the face in the second case, the chin being turned towards the right side. The only practical observation which he makes is, that turning is very difficult where the "waters are gone off, and the uterus closely envelopes the child." This is probably given as an explanation for his deviating from the usual practice of turning in these cases. Deleurye in supporting Portal's views observes, "one daily sees similar labours terminate naturally: it is true they are somewhat longer, but they terminate without the aid of art." (_Traité des Accouchemens_, 1770, § 736.) Lastly, the celebrated Boer of Vienna (1793) placed the matter in a still more decided point of view when he asserted, that "face presentations being merely a rare form of natural labour, should be left to be completed by the natural efforts, since neither the mothers nor their children were exposed to any more danger in this form of labour than they were in the most usual forms of all." Having charge of the great lying-in hospital of Vienna, Boer had ample means of ascertaining the most accurate results on all points of practical midwifery, and his observations on labours where the face presented, are, therefore, peculiarly interesting, and tend strongly to contradict the prevailing opinion respecting the difficulty and danger of these presentations. "Of eighty cases of face presentations which have occurred during a period of some years, and which I have myself observed and noted down, there were three, or at the most four, where the children were born dead. None of the patients suffered in the slightest degree from any of these labours; and, except one case, all were left entirely to nature: in one case only, on account of the weakness of the pains and doubtful character of the symptoms, I deemed it necessary to terminate the labour by the forceps." (Boer's _Natürliche Geburtshülfe_, erstes buch, p. 137.) In spite of this valuable practical fact, supported by experience on so great a scale, the opinion that face presentations were preternatural, continued to prevail upon the Continent, being supported by the authority of Baudelocque and Osiander. A similarly unfavourable opinion was entertained by Dr. Smellie in this country, although Dr. W. Hunter, in his lectures delivered prior to the publication of his plates on the gravid uterus (and, therefore, at an early date,) states, "in this case I do not turn the head round in order to deliver, but nineteen times in twenty leave it to itself to come as it will." (W. Hunter, _MS. Lectures_.)