100 cases of abnormal fetal position were treated by applying moxibustion to bilateral Zhiyin points. With a therapeutic course of 9 days

there were definite results for version with a successful rate of 71％ underadmission.During the treatment

it revealed that the maternal cutaneous blood vessels remained dilated

the heart beats didn’t accelerate

the blood pressure didn’t elevate and the differential counts of WBC remained unchanged.Based on the above results

the author presumed that the moxibustion caused no obvious stimulation to the sympathetic-adrenal system and that the great increase of fetal heart rate might be brought about by some unknown mechanism.Moxibustion applied to Zhiyin points raised the value of free plasmal corticosterone and increased the excretion of 17-hydroxy corticosterone and 17-ketosteroid which demonstrated that there was a stimulation effect of moxibustion to the hypophyseal-adrenocortical system

Recent informations have shown that the hormones of the adrenal cortex stimulate the uterine activity indirectly

hence

the author presumed that there might be an increase in such hormones during moxibustion therapy. In the experimental anesthetized rabbits

acupuncture and moxibustion applied to Zhiyin points increased the tonus and the contraction of the womb. These facts gave supports to the above presumption.According to the available pathological and biochemical materials

again the author presumed that when moxibustion were applied to the Zhiyin points

the secretions of adrenocortical hormones were increased

the activities of the uterus were enhanced

the movements of the fetus were also increased.All these three factors might be in a cause-effect relationship to one another in sequence

while the latter two might he the dynamic factors responsible for the spontaneous version of fetal position.