paste was taken off the market as dangerous, Spencer "began manufacturing his own product in his laboratory, a mild soft-soap solution, which he used to dilate the cervix and loosen the concepts in the first stage of his procedure. The following day he would complete the curettage. Spencer refined his own technique and he stuck with it for 40 years. The newer methods didn't interest him." A patient's experience Activist Polly Rothstein described assisting a pregnant friend, who she identified as "X", in 1958. X asked around among friends and acquaintances for an abortion referral. One person recommended Spencer and said that X should report her presenting symptom as "vaginal discharge". Spencer "told us the procedure would take two days, what motel to call, and where to park." Rothstein described Spencer's office as "unforgettably weird—walls and ceilings brimming with plaques from souvenir shops." She and X sat in the waiting room with Spencer's other patients until he summoned them into the exam room. She described Spencer as "white-haired and kindly." According to Rothstein, Spencer inserted something to dilate X's cervix and instructed the women to return in the morning. The next morning, Rothstein was left in a room while X went with Spencer to another room for her abortion. "Eventually," Rothstein wrote, "Dr. Spencer returned with X over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, out cold. He gently unloaded her onto the cot; her eyes were rolled back so only the whites showed. After she came to and had rested, he checked her, gave her post-op instructions and antibiotics, and wished her well. The entire charge, including anesthesia, was $50." Spencer's records Spencer's records were burned by his second wife, preventing researchers from accurately documenting his practice. Thus, neither his technique nor the number and type of patients treated can be verified. The Mary Davies case One of Spencer's arrests stemmed from the death of 26-year-old Mary Davies, who had traveled from New York City on Saturday, December 8, 1956, seeking an abortion. According to Spencer, Mary came to him alone. She reported that she'd been bleeding for about two weeks. Spencer did not examine her at the initial visit, but gave her medication for pain and bleeding. He instructed her to return the next day for the abortion. Mary returned the next morning at about 10 a.m. Spencer administered 13 cm3 of Evipal in a 10% solution to induce