“…Following these criteria it will be found that, in the series here discussed, the number of prolonged labours probably caused by the prolonged duration of the second stage, is very limited. On the other hand, the duration of the third stage is, as a rule so short (in parturients between the ages of 20 and 24 years, 16.8 minutes, according to RITALA (13), and in elderly primiparas, 16.4 minutes, according to VARA (14)) that its consideration, apart from facilitating the collection of cases, would not have significantly affected the results which have been assessed using the accepted 6-hour periods. Besides, the estimation of the duration of labour is based on the information given by the patients.…”