predict under any circumstances, and the question cannot be answered
at all unless the specific conditions presented by each case are
taken into account. In a general way the points to be considered are
the vigor of the patient, the period of pregnancy at which she has
arrived, and the character of the journey she wishes to undertake.
Prudent women will never attempt to decide this question for
themselves, but will always obtain professional advice. The
disapproval of the physician, no doubt, will sometimes cause keen
disappointment; but conservative advice is the best and should always
be followed.

To be on the safe side a prospective mother who has previously had a
miscarriage should not travel at any time during pregnancy; others
are not obliged to follow this stringent rule except during the first
sixteen and the last four weeks of pregnancy. In the former period
there is some danger of miscarriage because traveling may cause
separation of the relatively loose attachment of the ovum. In the
latter period the muscle-fibers of the womb are usually irritable and
therefore the rolling of a ship or the jolting of a car may set up
painful contractions which in some instances expel the fetus.
Generally there is the least risk of accident between the eighteenth
and the thirty-second weeks, though patients should be careful even
during this interval not to travel at the time when a menstrual
period would ordinarily be expected.

The length of the journey and the ease with which it can be made are
also important features to be considered. Obviously there will be
less danger of mishap from a short trip than from a long one; if
possible, therefore, long journeys by rail should be broken so as to
afford opportunity for rest. Railroad trips which do not exceed two