Pulsation of the fetal heart, when heard, is no longer presumptive but absolutely positive evidence that pregnancy exists. That the heart of the child can be distinctly heard to beat in its mother’s womb was one of the greatest discoveries in midwifery. The pulsations of the fetal heart are much faster than those of the mother’s heart, hence there is no danger of getting them mixed; while the child’s heart averages from one hundred and ten to one hundred and sixty per minute, the heart of the mother averages from seventy-five to eighty beats. There are cases where the mystery of a pregnancy can be solved beyond a possibility of a doubt, through the recognition of the pulsations of the fetal heart, and yet a woman may be pregnant in whom it will be impossible to distinguish the action of the child’s heart, at the termination of her period of gestation she will bring forth a healthy child. The question whether a female is pregnant will, from the very nature of the symptoms always remain debatable in a certain proportion of cases, or, in other words, there is no sign or symptom that is reliable and if reliable it is not uniformly present. From a medico-legal standpoint the question will always be of great importance, as it frequently involves the guilt or innocence of the accused; the social standing of one, or the merited punishment of the other, and it does seem like a travesty on both science and justice that at certain stages and in certain conditions no signs or symptoms are absolutely reliable. The unfortunate creatures whose illness may imitate or simulate the symptoms of pregnancy must always receive the benefit of the doubt, this would avoid the possibility of wrecking innocent lives. Professor Bedford reports a case in his work on obstetrics which is as sad as it is instructive, he says: “I was requested to visit a lady who was residing in the State of New Jersey, about thirty miles distant from New York. On my arrival I was received by her father, a venerable and accomplished gentleman. He seemed broken in spirit, and it was evident that grief had taken a deep hold of his frame. On being introduced into his daughter’s room, my sympathies were at once awakened in beholding the wreck of beauty which was presented to my view. My presence did not seem to occasion the slightest disturbance; she greeted me with these words: ‘Well, doctor, I am glad to see you on my beloved father’s account, for he will not believe that I cannot yet be restored to health. Life, however, has lost all its charms for me, and I impatiently long for the repose of the grave.’ These words were spoken with extraordinary gentleness, but yet with an emphasis which at once gave me an insight into the character of this lovely woman.