pregnancy will cause the uterus to right itself spontaneously.

Another important cause of miscarriage consists in abnormalities in
the lining of the uterus. Through inherent defect or acquired disease
this tissue may become unsuited for anchoring or nourishing an ovum.
In either event, a surgical procedure, known as curettage, affords
the most likely means of restoring it to a healthful state. The
operation removes the old lining; and a new one quickly develops,
which is often more capable of fulfilling the purpose for which it is
intended.

An appreciable number of miscarriages depend upon conditions over
which medical skill has no control. Under such circumstances, though
the accident may be regretted, there is no room for remorse or
censure. Often the embryo should bear the blame; if its development
is imperfect or if it dies, miscarriage usually occurs very promptly.

We are familiar also with a few maternal conditions which seriously
affect the embryo, often seriously enough to cause its expulsion,
alive or dead. In this respect, certain constitutional disorders are
preeminent. Bright's disease and diabetes are prejudicial to the
development of the embryo; women suffering from either of them must
be watched with great care. Occasionally, such pregnancies come to a
premature end in spite of every precaution. Various infectious
diseases, as typhoid fever and pneumonia, also are fatal to the
embryo if the causative bacteria pass into it. Fortunately this
rarely happens, since the placenta generally affords an effectual
barrier to their entrance into the embryo. Organic diseases of the
mother's heart also may bring about miscarriage. A patient thus
affected should place herself under the supervision of a physician as