HERE I appeal to every reader of common-sense, to every reader who knows any thing of the human heart, whether it can be imagined that any man-midwife, who is called in to the aid of a lying-in woman, will choose to appear in the character of a _young practitioner_, or of such an one, as that his _character_ is not enough _established_ to _dare_ to use instruments, for fear of after-reflexions. Is not there, if but in this lesson of the Doctor’s, couched a strong temptation for a man-practitioner not indeed to produce openly and barefacedly his apparatus of instruments, but to be very uncautious of concealing them? Since the reason for concealing them, that of the women being apt to be frightened at them, stands coupled with another reason, the fittest in the world to work a contrary effect to both; by piquing the vanity of the operator to suffer them to be seen, and what is worse yet, to the using them only that they might be _seen_, especially if to this motive of ostentation you add, that if these instruments being the very _grand_ and _capital_ point of their imaginary _superiority_ to the women-practitioners; over whom every occasion of using them seems to the men a kind of triumph. BUT while it is to the novices in the art, that Dr. Smellie recommends more especially the concealment of these same terrifying instruments, the good Dr. does not seem aware, that an advice much more honest and humane might be given to the women, for whose _benefit_ the instruments are supposed to be invented, which is, not to employ _young practitioners_ or novices, not in short to employ those whose character was not _fully_ established, since they might, in order to pass for adepts, or at least for no novices, be too apt to embrace occasions of florishing those same instruments with less necessity, if possible, than the _great men_ themselves of the profession. IN the mean time, this curious injunction to the _young_ practitioners, while the _old_ ones are by that distinction implicitly allowed more openness in using the instruments, reminds me of the caution of the Regent-duke of Orleans, who taking monsieur de St. Albin[18], a natural son of his, that was in priest’s orders, to task, for some irregularities, of which certain bishops had complained, said to him in their presence, “_Sirrah, could not you stay till you were a bishop?_”