In former times the difficulties in certain cases of parturition, which are now trumpeted forth by the writers on man-midwifery "with all the pomp and state of academic learning," were easily overcome by discreet and experienced women, who, although innocent of physical, classical, or mathematical science, knew full well how to operate when necessity called for their intervention. We find the following passage in Albertus Magnus:--"Whence it is to be known that in some women there is greater suffering than in others, because in some it happens that the foetus sometimes presents a hand, and sometimes a foot, all which are hurtful. Then the midwives carefully thrust back the foetus, and hence great pain is produced, so that many women, unless very robust, are weakened even to death," &c. Then, after describing the effect of an accident which sometimes occurred even with the more appropriate assistance of the female hand, but which[69] _if the truth was known_, since the invention of instruments has probably been of much greater frequency, he continues: "Then discreet midwives use a certain ointment, anointing the vulva, because the womb is often injured and wounded in the vulva, and therefore it is necessary that discreet women and experienced in this operation should be employed in delivery.[70] But this I have learnt from some women, that when the foetus presents its head in the outlet, then the business fares well, because then the other members follow without difficulty, and an easy labour is the result."[71] To the casual reader who has the curiosity to wade through the filthy and disgusting details of the ponderous tomes on obstetricity, for the most part garnished with engravings at which "purity must blush and licentiousness may gloat," and who incontinently pins his faith upon the dogmas thereof, it will seem absolutely incomprehensible how unit after unit, of millions on millions numberless, who have peopled earth, contrived to see the light, from the days of our general mother Eve, until that happy hour when first "obstetric science" flashed upon the world, and by its magic touch scattering the dreams of a primeval curse, vouchsafed its "art" to teach poor feeble ineffectual nature how to act. One result of the frightful tissue of imaginable and unimaginable horrors contained in these books, is that almost every woman in the upper and middle classes believes that the chances are ten to one in favour of a "cross birth;" the nurse, instead of relieving her fears, rather confirms them, and on the strength of that understanding which always prevails between the nurse and the _man_-midwife, she takes care to impress upon the sufferer, wrought up to a pitiable state of nervous excitement, that nothing but the beastly manipulations of the "doctor" can render the labour successful.