The directions are not very complex

The directions are not very complex

The directions are not very complex

"The directions are not very complex, but they must not on that account be disregarded. By introducing the finger, and taking care that its extremity corresponds with the point of the instrument, a great object is gained by securing the pup more firmly: yet there are other advantages also obtained by this mode of operating. The head of the fœtus is generally too large for the vagina, and hence the difficulty of its expulsion; but by the employment of an instrument which is simultaneously to pass, we appear to be increasing the obstruction: however, by compressing the head with the end of the finger, it is in some degree forced to conform to the diameter of the passage, which the gelatinous development of the pup at the time of birth readily enables it to do. Moreover, the hazard of injury being done, if the instrument should lose its hold, is guarded against; for should the hook slip, the point would be received upon the end of the finger before it could catch the soft parts. However, the operator will feel the hold giving way long before it is entirely lost, and will be enabled to rectify the occurrence in the majority of cases before there is a chance of accident. The finger, therefore, becomes a sensible guide to the operator, and by its employment the traction is rendered more firm and steady. But above all, care should be taken to have the instrument perfectly blunt, and the beaks of the hooks not too long. A sharp point might, at the first glance, seem more likely to answer the purpose in view; but its employment would be attended with danger, and on being tested, it would be found more apt to tear away. In fact, the sharper the point, the less firm would be the hold, since the substance to be secured is somewhat of a pulpy nature; whereas, by using as broad and flat a point as possible, the force is exerted on a larger surface, and the grasp is proportionably the more likely to be retained; the object being not to rend the fœtus, or tear it away, but to gently pull it through the vagina, using only so much violence as the judgment assures us is imperative for the accomplishment of the purpose."