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10 per cent. If a pregnant woman miscarries or falls into labor, the mortality increases to 809

10 per cent. (17 of the 21 in whom pregnancy was interrupted died). The period of gestation has less influence on the outcome than the interruption itself. Of 10 at term, 3 lived and 7 died after delivery.

“Two main features of this condition as a complication of pregnancy are: First, pregnant women developing epidemic influenza are liable to an interruption of their pregnancy (42 per cent. aborted, miscarried or fell into labor); second, the prognosis, which is already grave on account of the existence of pregnancy, becomes more grave if interruption of pregnancy occurs.

“The cause of the frequency of interruption of pregnancy is probably a combination of factors: (1) The theory of Brown-Sequard that a lowering of the carbon-dioxid content of the blood causes strong uterine contractions sufficient to induce labor. (2) The toxæmia causes the death of the fœtus, particularly if not mature, when it acts as a foreign body and is extruded (10 premature fœtuses were born dead, while 1 was born alive, although 9 out of 10 at full term were born alive and survived).