be small Beer or rather small Ale If the cause be a thin and putrid humour it will appear by that which comes from her which will be discoloured and stinking Let her first take this following purging Potion The Potion TAke Sena three drams Rubarb and Agarick of each a dram Caruay seeds and Coriander seeds prepared of each half a dram infuse them in a quarter of a pinte of White-wine for the space of twelve houres Strain them and put to the strained liquor an ounce and half of syrupe of Roses and five drops of oyl of Vitriol Give it her to drink in a morning fasting with due observation according to the usual manner of purging After she hath purged let her take plentifully of conserve of Red-roses vitriolated for the space of a week then let her purge again as formerly After that continue her with this following Electuary until she be well The Electuary TAke conserve of Red-roses vitriolated four ounces conserve of Barberies two ounces Lapis haematites two drams Dragons blood a dram and half Crocus Martis a dram with as much syrupe of Quinces as shall be sufficient make it into an Electuary of which give her the quantity of a small nut five or sixe times a day If her flux return before her body be altered stay it by a second application of Cupping-glasses to her breasts as above written Let her diet be the same with that before mentioned For flesh meat doth beget both a sharp and also a putrid humour in the body whereupon it is so strictly forbidden immediately after child-birth besides upon the account of a Feaver lest it should put either a sharpness or else a putrefaction upon the bloud and thereby cause a greater flux It is a common observation that they that are much inclin'd to the immoderate flowing of the Months are almost continually bound in their bodies which is oftentimes the cause wherefore this immoderate Flux doth so long continue For Nature endeavouring to discharge her self of some superfluous humour by the common sink of the body the Guts finding that passage stopt throws it out by that passage which is most open Wherefore whatsoever is given to stop this immoderate flowing of the Months it will be to no purpose except a due regard be had to the keeping of the Patients body soluble which must not be by strong and violent purgers but by such Medicines as do but gently purge and withall have a power to cool the body and allay the sharpness of humours of which sort are Catholicon Lenitive Electuary Diaprunum syrupe of Damask roses c. The same things which are commonly given unto those that bleed much at the nose or vomit bloud are also very good in this case As the juices of Plantain and Nettles the powder of Colophony Dragons bloud Lapis haematites the powder of Acorn cups the powder of Comfrey â—â—ots c. But above all things let the Patient be conversant in a cool ayr In the Summer time let the room wherein she is be cooled with green boughs and let water be sprinkled upon the floor and in the Winter time let there be little or no fire in the room Vpon a Miscarriage and sometimes after Childe-bearing it hath been observed that the bloud which the Patient voids being drunk in White wine doth immediately stay the immoderate Flux Insomuch that many Midwives account this as a great secret and mixe it privately lest they should communicate their skill to others I have some acquaintance with a Gentlewoman who could by no means possibly be cured who was brought so weak with this continual flux of bloud that she alwayes fainted away when she was but turned in her bed insomuch that her friends and Physitians despaired of her life seeing that all those means which have been effectual to others proved not at all succesful to her At length she was advised to have a live Toad put up in a Napkin and bound to her back which was no sooner done but her flux of bloud was staid from thence forward and to the admiration of all this Gentlewoman was thereby recovered CHAP. IIII. For the rising of the Matrix or Womb called commonly the Mother THe present paroxysme or fit is first to be abated After that the cause must be taken away otherwise upon the least disturbance of minde during her whole life time she must expect several fits in the like Nature To abate the present fit first of all apply a Cupping-glass to her navel after it hath continued on some few minutes take it off and lay two or three grains of Civet received into a little cotton or lint upon her navel and keep it on with a plaister of Galbanum as broad as the mouth of a Cupping glass Let the plaister remain on so long as it will stick Then proceed to take away the cause but in the mean time lest the fit should return before the cause be wholly abated give her now and then as often as you please a spoonfull or two of compound Pyony-water sweetned with white Sugar-candy and let her sometimes take a whift or two of Tobacco in a pipe or if she observe a fit approaching let another take tobacco and blow the smoak to her for this is better then the smoak of feathers or Assafoetida The cause of this distemper is a putrid humour collected in the womb proceeding from too great a quantity of bloud in respect of the patients strength to govern it First breath a vein in the right arm to the quantity of seven ounces of bloud The next day after if the patient be of a sanguine complexion or melancholick let her bloud in the foot to the quantity of about eight or nine ounces The day after bleeding give her this following Clyster The Clyster TAke Mugwort Penny royal the flowers of Centuary of each a small handful Chammomile and Mellilot flowers of each half a handful Bayberries and Cummin-seeds bruised of each two drams French barley half an ounce boyl them in a pinte and half of water until half be wasted strain away the liquor and dissolve therein an ounce of Diaphaenicon the yolk of an egge and two drams of Venice-terpentine washt The Venice terpentine must be first mixt with the Yolk of the egge in a mortar and so be incorporated into the rest of the liquor by degrees The next day after her Clyster let her purge with three four or five pils of Extractum Rudii more or less according to the constitution of her body whether easie or hard to work upon The day after purging let her make use of this following Pessary The Pessary TAke Mugwort and Feaversue of each half a handful Diaphaenicon and Venice terpentine of each six drams species hiera picra three drams beat them together into a mass then make a little bag of sarcenet shaped like unto a suppository but let it be bigger both in thickness and length Then crowd so much of the mass into it
originall either from repletion or inanition from fullnesse or emptinesse The stopping of the months doth produce at first a generall cachexy or evill habit of body that is want of appetite disgestion indisposednesse to exercise dullnesse and drowsynesse c. This cachexy if it be not taken away by bleeding purging sweating abstinence or the like doth beget some other disease unto which the body is most enclined The distempers which doe generally ensue hereupon are paines in the head back and other parts of the body intermitting feavers the black and yeallow jaundise difficulty of breathing the dropsy the scurvy the plurisy the squinancy c. Such like diseases do most frequently happen upon the obstruction of the monthly course Yet is not the body wholly exempted from any other distemper whatsoever upon this account whereof fullnesse is the cause For by the retention of the months not onely the grosser par s of the humors do putrefy but even â—he thinner parts thereof or spirits may become more disposed to receive and cherish the seedâ— of pestilentiality whereby the bâ—dy is rendred more obnoxious to those epidemicall diseases Viz the small Pox the Measells the spotted Feaver the Purples the Plague or whaâ—soever other contagious disease As the retention of the months doth procreate all manner of diseases which have their originall from repletion Even so from the immoderate flowing of the same do proceed those other distempers which are the of-springs of inanition Viz convulsions cramps syncopes c. Of which it wil be too tedious to say any thing in particular Having generally considered the error in quantity committed by the retention or immoderate expulsion of the months from whence may proceed all those diseases in Women which are common unto all Mankinde we come now to take notice of the evill quality of the humors so retained or expelled from whence proceed diseases of the wombe and such as are peculiar unto Women The wombe is a tender part nervous and exquisitely sensible apt to receive a various impression according to the diversity of the quality of the humor which is cast into it and contained in it Sharpe and bilious humors ulcerate the wombe melancholick juice hardeneth it and breeds a Scirrhus therein hot bloud doth inflame it crude and indigested humors putrefy and cause a suffocation thereof which is called the hystericall passion And so is it humected dryed cancerated c. According to the nature of the humor which it receives Those humors which hurt the wombe have other passages appointed them by Nature by which they might be expell'd without prejudice to the parts through which they pass such is the tendernesse of the wombe in respect of other parts as the bladder the intestines the pores and other particular emunctories Now when these or some of these by any cause whatsoever are stopt whereby there is some offensive humor retain'd which should but cannot by these passages be expell'd Nature out of her providence to the whole is forc'd to throw out this offensive humor into the tender wombe which presently receives the impression thereof and suffers more or lesse after a diverse manner according to the quality of the humor Sometimes the wombe suffers by procatarcticall or outward causes it may be indurated by cold injections it may be inflam'd by too hot a pessary and by too long continuance of too sharpe a pessary it may be ulcerated What prudence then and religion is there required in that practitioner whether physitian or Chirurgion that is concerned in the cure of diseases in the wombe How possible is it for an unskilfull hand to ulcerate or inflame the wombe in attempting by pessary to cure the hystericall passion So likewise in the cure of any other distemper of the wombe as also of all other diseases which are peculiar to Women without much prudence skill and caution there is much danger CHAP. II. To Procure the months FIrst of all take notice of the patients pulse which you shall observe to be either too quick too flow or moderate If her pulse be quicker than ordinary it will be convenient for her to be let bloud if slower than is usuall to healthful Women the best way is to refrain bleeding if her pulse be moderate Viz neither too quick nor too slow she may bleed or not bleed according to these following conditâ—ons The patient must be lett bloud upon a moderate pulse if she doe sometimes bleed at nose or if she have paine in her head or in her back or in any of her sides or if she be naturally subject to warts or have a wenn in any part of her for all these are signes of a melancholick constitution wherein letting blood is in the first place required She must not bleed upon a moderate pulse if her leggs be subject to swell and pit or if she be sick after her meat or if she be very drowsy and enclin'd to sleep much for these are signes of a Phlegmatick Constitution wherein letting blood is some what dangerous in regard of a dropsie I have set down severally the signes whereby may be known whether it will be necessary for her to bleed or not to bleed yet often times these signes which I distinguish mâ—y happen together in the same body as the same Woman which hath pain in her head sides or back which I call signes that letting blood is requisite may also have a swelling in her legs which of it self is a signe that letting blood is not necessary in this case it will be Convenient for her to bleed for these several signes concurring are an argument that she doth labour with a plechora or fulness of humours which must be emptied by letting blood which is the most general Evacuation Bloud must be taken away upon this occasion alwaies from those veins which are in the lower parts of the body it is most commom to let bloud in one of the feet yet if the Patient have a pain in her back or in the hinder part of her head it will be more proper for her to bleed with leaches in the Haemorrhoidal veins if she have pain in any of her sides or in the side of her head she must bleed in the foot of the same side where the pain is Except her feet or ancles swell then must she not bleed in the foot least thereby the â—umors of her body be too much called down But let her rather bleed in the vein under the ham If she have pain on both sides alike or athwart her chest or if she have no pain it will be most convenient for her to bleed in the left foot because the spleen is on the left side whose fulness and stopping is commonly the cause of this distemper After bloud-letting the next thing in order to be done is vomiting But if the Patient upon bleeding perceive a Manifest alteration to the better it will be wisdome to let her alone some time and to observe whether
notwithstanding all means used sometimes there is some part of the After-birth left behinde which cannot speedily be brought away but doth putrifie in the wombe and doth cause dangerous symptomes and oftentimes death I would therefore advise all Midwives to be sure that the whole After-birth come away in its proper time so soon as the Childe is born without mangling or tearing which may be done with ease speed and safety by putting up their whole hand into the body and therewith gently separating the same from the walls of the womb I confess they that trust to the strength of the Navel-string which I presume most do have scarce the After-birth of one in twenty broken Yet it is great pity that one in a hundred should suffer in the like nature there being such a way and means to prevent it whereupon there is no other inconvenience doth ensue Upon all occasions when I have been called to cases of great difficulty I have ever made sure with the After-birth by putting up my whole hand as afore-said and with what success they which have had experience do well know Neither have I ever observ'd any inconvenience ensuing which makes me bold to counsel all Midwives to do the like CHAP. XII For the over-flowing of Milk in womens Breasts MAny women are inclined to this distemper which proceeds either from the weakness of the breasts the retentive faculty thereof being lost or else from the waterish temperament of the Mass of bloud or humours contained in the Veins and Arteries and in some women there are both these causes Let her drink a quarter of a pinte of this following Apozeme in a morning fasting at four in the afternoon and at night to bed-ward so long as it shall last The Apozeme Take Guajacum four ounces China Sassafras and Sarsaparilla of each an ounce Liquorice an ounce and half Agrimony and Betony of each a handful Raisins stoned four ounces infuse them all night in two gallons of warm water in the morning boyl them in a Vessel close covered until half be wasted Strain away the ingredients and drink the liquor as aforesaid After she hath taken this Apozeme let her take the quantity of a Nutmeg of conserve of red Roses vitriolated three or four times a day untill her constitution be altered Let her all this while wear upon her Breasts plaisters of Oxycroceum CHAP. XIII To dry up the Milk in womens Breasts TAke Vnguentum Populeon and Diachylon Plaister of each an ounce and half melt them together and when it is almost cold stir into it two drams of the powder of Alabaster and a dram of Lapis calaminaris finely powdered Make two large plaisters hereof and apply them to her breasts Let her wear black wool in her armpits If this succeed not let her purge with a dram of Pilulae Cochiae If after her purging she perceive not her Milk to dry up give her the Apozeme in the fore-going Chapter For the over-flowing of Milk c. CHAP. XIV For an Ulcer in the Womb. FIrst take away eight ounces of bloud more or less according to the Patients strength from her right arm the next day after her bleeding let her begin to take of this following Electuary let her continue the same for the space of one and twenty days give her the quantity of a Nutmeg of it at a time twice a day viz. in the morning fasting and at four in the afternoon in the mean time once in seven days let her purge with this following Potion The Electuary Take conserve of Scurvy-grass four ounces conserve of Roman Wormwood two ounces Crabs eyes finely powdered three drams Tartarum Viâ—riolatum a dram and half salt of Steel a dram w th as much syrupe of Mint as shall be sufficient mix them together into an Electuary The purging Potion Take Sena three drams Rubarb a dram Agarick half a dram Coriander seeds prepared a scruplâ— Spikenard ten grains infuse them in four ounces of white Wine for the space of twelve houres strain away the ingredients and dissolve in the strained liquor syrupe of Roses solutive an ounce Manna half an ounce oyl of Vitriol seven drops After she hath taken one and twenty dayes of her Electuary and purged thrice viz every seventh day let her drink of this following Apozeme for the space of one and twenty dayes more eight or nine spoonâ—uls at a time every morning fasting and at night to bed-ward The Apozeme Take the roots of China and Sarsaparilla of each an ounce and half Agrimony Mugwort Sanicle Shepheards purse of each half a handful Liquorice an ounce and half boyl them in three quarts of water until half be wasted strain away the ingâ—edâ—ents and sweeten the liquor with syrupe of Mint whereof let her drink as aforesaid During the time of taking her Apozeme let her use injections twice a day viz. in the morning and at four in the afternoon Let her use this following injection in the morning and the next after in the afternoon The Injection for the morning Boyl a quarter of a pound of Guajacum in two quarts of water until half be wasted then dissolve in the strained liquor Calcanthum Romanum called commonly the Celestial stone two drams The stone will of it selfe dissolve in the liquor being put therein The Injection for the Afternoon Take the flowers of St. Johns wort Plantain Knot-grass Shepheards purse and Horse-tail of each a handful red Rose leaves half a handful Bistort roots an ounce and half boyl them in four pintes of Spring water until half be wasted strain away the ingredients and reserve the liquor for your use putting thereto four ounces of syrupe of dried Roses After she hath made use of these injections and taken her Apozeme as aforesaid let her drink until she be well twice or thrice in a day a draught of Whay wherein some Vulnerary herbs have been steeped or boyled of which sort are Avens Bugle Comfrey St. Johns wort Dandelion Agrimony Hony-suckles Mugwort Mint Plantain Ribwort c. Let her eat no flesh-meat during the whole time of her cure CHAP. XV. For a Cancer in the Womb. FIrst take away eight ounces of bloud from her left arm the next day after let her begin to take of this following Electuary and Apozeme continuing the same for the space of twenty dayes Give her the quantity of a large Nutmeg of her Electuary every morning fasting and immediately after it let her drink a quarter of a pinte of the Apozeme The Electuary Take conserve of Borage and Bugloss flowers of each two ounces prepared Steel three drams the black ends of the clawes of Crabs finely powdered two drams black Amber that is Jet finely powdered a dram and half oyl of Vitriol twenty drops wiâ—h as much syrupe of Coral as shall be sufficient mix them together into an Electuary The Apozeme Take Garden Scurvigrass three handfuls Fumitary and Maiden hair of each a handful Sena two ounces Pollypody of the Oak