The diet of the pregnant female should be made a special study for upon the regimen of food not only depends her immediate comfort, but its ultimate effect on the process of parturition is equally marked. I do not agree with the opinion, laid down by some of the highest authorities, that “as far as eating and drinking is concerned, the pregnant woman may continue her accustomed diet.” I believe that there is a diet peculiarly adapted to the pregnant woman and very beneficial to her if she lives up to it. Stimulants of every kind are not good; wine, beer, whisky and even strong coffee and tea, as well as highly seasoned food, salty or sour salads should not be eaten. How very often does it happen that a very strong, muscular, robust, healthy young woman, who, during her entire period of gestation, was in the best of health and spirits, and from whom, from all appearances one may predict that she will have an “easy time” in her confinement, quite the opposite occurs. And why as a matter of fact and experience is this not so, is indeed an interesting inquiry. I believe that the answer to this question can be made so plain and reasonable, that a mere statement of a few simple facts will make it apparent. The process of delivery, presupposes the contraction of the uterus and the descent of the child down into the pelvic canal and its further passage through the floor of the pelvis. The pelvic floor (see page 228) forms the bottom of the pelvic canal through which the child must be forced. The vagina is the opening through this floor, and this is composed of the muscles and membranes of the vagina, the skin, two layers of fascea, the triangular ligaments of the bladder and a group of interlacing muscles. In the birth of the child all these tissues are forced to relax to such an extent, that the vaginal canal (or the vagina) will be sufficiently widened or dilated to allow the child to pass through into the world. A moment’s reflection will at once make clear, that in a strong muscular person, the resistance to the necessary dilatation will become correspondingly great, because the muscles are so strong and tense. I have attended some women where the muscles under the excitement of labor pains felt as tense and hard, as though they were made of strong india rubber. It is apparent that the muscular resistance that is offered by these strong, tense muscles, clearly obstructs and delays the passage or birth of the child and it makes the strongest labor pains of no avail. And experience teaches, that the progress of labor is slow and the delivery generally prolonged until the pains and physical suffering of many hours, exhaust and relax the muscular resistance so that the child is allowed to pass. If the above truths were generally understood and generally recognized they might be guarded against by a proper dietetic regulation, and thus an infinite amount of suffering could be avoided.