AS to the preternatural delivery, the better practice is not to delay the extraction of the fœtus, after the discharge of the waters; nor stay till her strength shall have been exhausted. On the presenting of a fair hold, and a sufficient overture, no difficulty should be made of extracting. ALL that is to be observed then, is not to prematurate this extraction: not to proceed, in short, like those unskilful, or inconsiderate practitioners, who are no sooner entered the patient’s room, but they want to have their operation dispatched out of hand. Nothing can be more important to the well-doing of the patient, than for no violence to be used to Nature, who loves to go her own full time, without disturbance or molestation. In this point then great caution and circumspection are requisite. IT should also be observed, that it is wrong for the midwife to leave a woman newly lain-in, however happily delivered. It is necessary to stay by her for some hours afterwards, till she is in such a state of tranquility and ease, as may leave nothing to fear of those after-disasters which too often happen. SOME celebrated practitioners and authors upon midwifery have been surprized to see women, after their going their time without mis-adventure, and after having been readily and happily brought to bed die suddenly. There are too many of both the female and the men-midwives who have no notion of this misfortune till it is too late to prevent it. The cause of this melancholic accident is unknown to many practitioners of the art. Some have confessed their ignorance of it: others have erroneously, others deficiently accounted for it. But all are surprized when the patient is the victim of it: especially as it follows, in some cases that afford the best grounded hopes. MESSIEURS MAURICEAU and De la Motte give us examples of these unexpected deaths. The first, in his 230th observation, says, “I DELIVERED a woman of a very corpulent habit, aged about thirty-five years, of her first child, which was a lusty girl, alive, and that came naturally. This woman had been near two days in labor, with small slow pains or throws, after which the waters having burst forth with a strong throw, she had subsequently favorable ones, which made her bring forth as happily as one could wish. I immediately delivered her: but to my great surprize, scarce had she been a quarter of an hour after delivery, that she of a sudden fell into violent faintings, with an oppression at the breast, and a great agitation of the whole body, which was instantly followed by a convulsion, caused by a loss of blood, of which she died a quarter of an hour afterwards. “THIS (adds Mr. Mauriceau) was one of those kind of fatalities which no human prudence can elude or parry.”