Secondary Causes of Death in the Fetus and Newborn Prematurity should not be given as the cause of death though it may be incompatible with life. Even in quite early embryos the cause of death may be found by microscopic examination. Frequently the lesions found are secondary to abnormalities of the placenta or mother. Notable among these is asphyxia. From a very early stage the embryo will attempt to breathe if the oxygen supply from the mother is insufficient (Fig. 1). For this reason many prefer to speak of anoxia. Because the perivascular hiamorrhages ("Tardieu's spots") follow extreme capillary dilatation due to accumulation of metabolites it is better to use the term asphyxia. In its literal meaning asphyxia is entirely wrong; it means absence of a pulse and the hemorrhagic phenomena of asphyxia must depend on the presence of a pulse. It is better to speak of "asphyxial hemorrhages" than Tardieu's spots. Asphyxial hlmorrhages are of very wide distribution. They are best known in the pleura, pericardium and thymus. Functionally active parts are more affected than parts
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