Excerpt from A Treatise on the Science and Practice of Midwifery, Vol. 1 of 2 Those who have studied the progress of Midwifery know that there is no department of medicinein which more has been done of late years, and none in which modern views of practice differ more widely from those prevalent only a short time ago. The Authors object has been to place in the hands of his readers an epitome of the science and practice of midwifery which embodies all recent advances. He is aware that on certain important points he has recommended practice which not long ago would have been considered heterodox in the extreme, and which, even now, will not meet with general approval. He has, however, the satisfaction of knowing that he has only done so after very deliberate reflection, and with the profound conviction that such changes are right, and that they will stand the test of experience. He has endeavoured to dwell especially on the practical part of the subject, so as to make the work a useful guide in this most anxious and responsible branch of the profession. It is admitted by all, that emergencies and difficulties arise more often in this than in any other branch of practice; and there is no part of the practitioners work which requires more thorough knowledge or greater experience. It is, moreover, a lamentable fact that -students generally leave their schools more ignorant of obstetrics than of any other subject. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.