= Solution
\b[A seven-month <fetus> is recognizably human in its formed organs and external parts but remains immature in <fat> stores, respiratory function, <temperature> control and feeding coordination.] The month count must be stated: calendar months, four-week obstetric months and time since conception are not interchangeable.
A useful modern benchmark is around 28 completed gestational weeks, counted from the last menstrual period, about two weeks more than the usual time since fertilization. At that stage a typical crown-to-heel length is about 38 cm and mass about 1 kg, with substantial normal variation. Those are illustrative modern averages, not measurements of a particular <fetus> or exact historical thresholds for a seventh month. A historical count from conception would place the same numerical week count later in modern gestational dating.<Week 28 of Pregnancy by the NHS>[What does my baby look like? Crown-to-heel length at 28 gestational weeks]{ref}<Week 28 of Pregnancy by HealthLink BC>[How your baby is changing: approximate mass, eyelid opening and developing fat]{ref}
The body is slender compared with a term newborn because subcutaneous <fat> is still limited. The <skin> is relatively thin and reddish, with wrinkles, <lanugo> and a variable covering of <vernix caseosa>. Hair and nails are present but their growth and the firmness of the ear cartilage remain immature. The eyelids have separated and can open around this period; this should not be confused with adult visual acuity or fully mature pupillary responses. Limb movements occur, but sustained flexor posture and coordinated behaviour are less developed than at term.<Developmental Care Guideline by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde>[Developmental characteristics at 23–27, 28–31 and 32–35 weeks: skin, posture, movement and eye responses]{ref}
The major organs are present, yet their organization and functional reserve continue to mature. The <brain> is growing rapidly and its surface folding increases. The <lungs> are developing gas-exchanging regions and <pulmonary surfactant> production, but an early birth can still entail serious respiratory difficulty. Fetal respiratory movements do not demonstrate that the <lungs> are already performing ordinary air breathing: before birth the <placenta> supplies gas exchange. <Fetal circulation> still includes its characteristic shunts. Genital appearance and testicular descent, when relevant, can contribute to maturity assessment but do not provide a precise independent calendar.
Survival after birth is possible, especially with current neonatal support, but viability is a probability conditioned by maturity, circumstances and available care, not a switch thrown on one date. Modern intensive-care results must not be represented as outcomes achievable in 1864. Nor is there a physiological rule that a healthy eight-month <fetus> is intrinsically less viable than a seven-month <fetus>. A description of several concordant maturity features is more defensible than assigning an exact age or prognosis from size alone.
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