take Nutmegs Cloves Cubebs each a scruple Calamus Aromaticus Frankincense bark each half a dram Majoram water 3 ounces If in 20 days this doth not the cure then you must consult with the able Surgeon for the opening it SECT VI. Of Frights in the Sleep and Watching YOu must see to cure this presently for 't is the fore-runner of the Falling-sickness give good Milk and not too much to overcharge the Stomach let not the Child sleep presently after food but carry it about and Jog it to the bottom of the Stomach give it 2 or 3 spoonfuls of oil of Sweet Almonds or Honey of Roses If it come from a Feaver Teeth or Worms they are treated of a part As for the Childs watching you must take notice that a new born one sleeps more then it wakes because its brain is very moist and it slept in the Womb. If you cannot make it sleep by singing or rocking c. 't is a Disease and if not cur'd will produce Catarrhs Convulsions Feavers c. If it proceed from bad Milk that must be amended if from a Feaver or pain remove them and give sleeping Medicines to the Nurse if that will not do you may venture a little Lettice or Purcelan water SECT VII Of the Falling-sickness and Convulsion THe first is either by consent from parts below when the Milk corrupts in the Stomach or from its ill quality from the Nurses bad dyet or from Worms or Vapors or from the brain first when humors are bred there that cause it or from Tooth-ach or sudden fright To prevent it give the Child as soon as 't is born oil of Sweet Almonds Sugar-Candy and Anniseeds powdered The Florentines apply a Caustick to the hinder part of the Head the best part of the cure is the Nurses dyet If from corrupt Milk provoke vomit by holding down the Tongue and pour some Oil of sweet Almonds down the Throat The same means may be used in Convulsions only anointing the spine of the back with Oil of Chamomil St. John's wort Worms Goose-grease Foxes Oil c. SECT VIII Of pain in the Ears Moisture Ulcers and Worms THe first is allayed by using warm Milk to them or Oil of Violets or the decoction of Poppies for the moisture take Honey of Roses and Aqua Mellis and drop them into the Ears for Worms they are kil'd by washing the Ears with white Wine wherein Wormwood hath been boiled or drop in Hemp Oil with a little Wine SECT IX Of the Thrush bladders of the Gums and Inflammation of the Tonsils FOr the first wash the Mouth with Plantain water and Syrup of Mulberries with a little Sal Prunella the Bladders are cured by taking the powder of Lentils husked and laid upon them If the Tonsils of Infants chance to be inflam'd give them Honey of Roses Myrtles Pomegranates and Diamoron inwardly and oil of sweet Almonds Camomil and St. John's wort outwardly SECT X. Of the breeding of Teeth HEre the pain is great and many time kills the Child it happens about the 7th Month they breed first the fore Teeth then the Eye-Teeth and last of all the grinders 't is known by the Child 's often putting its Fingers to its Mouth by holding the Nipple faster then before and the Gum is white where the Tooth begins to come If the Teeth are long a breeding it causes Feavers and Convulsions of which many dye Their hard breeding is from thickness and hardness of the Gums therefore soften and loosen them by rubing them with your Fingers dipt in Honey and Butter or with the mucilage of Quinces made with Mallow water If the Gums be inflam'd add the juice of Houseleek and cream and let the Nurse keep a temperate dyet SECT XI Of a Catarrh Cough and difficult breathing THese proceed from much Milk that burthens the Stomach and many vapors from thence filling the Brain and if the brain be full of excrements they are dissolved either by inward heat or outward cold and so distill upon the Nose Jaws or Lungs which causes a Cough or short breathing moreover much food makes crudities in the first passages and Phlegmatick humors are bred by the Liver of crudity and thick humors whence unconcocted blood is sent by the Arterial Veins into the Lungs and pressing the pipes of the Lungs causeth difficult Breathing First let the Nurse keep a good dyet and fill not the Childs Stomach too full with Milk or other dyet and let the Nurse forbear all hot sharp salt sour things and such as fill the Head with Vapors and give her a pectoral decoction such as this take Figs and Jujubes each 10 Sebestens 30 Raisins stoned 10 drams Liquorice 2 drams Maiden hair and Violets each an ounce and half boil them in 3 pints of water till the 3d part be boiled away let her take 6 or 8 ounces of this every morning keep the belly open with Syrup of Roses Cassia or a Clyster or hold down the Tongue to provoke vomiting give syrup of Jujubes Maiden hair if the matter be thick give syrup of Hysop or Hore hound or an emulsion of oil of sweet Almonds and Pine-nuts made with Scabions water or make a Lohoc of diarios Diatragacanth frigid penids and syrup of jujubes If it be hot give Emulsions of the 4 great cold Seeds made with Barley-water and Almonds SECT XII Of the Hiccup and Vomiting THey come from corruption of the food in the Stomach or over fulness of milk or cold Air these hurt the expulsive faculty which stirs it self up to expel what offends it If from fulness of Milk the belly swells and there follows Vomiting if from corruption of Milk it may be the Nurse hath bad Milk the Child cryes and is in pain and the excrements smell of stinking Milk If from corruption put a feather dipt in oil to cause Vomiting then strengthen the Stomach with syrup of Mints Quinces or Betony c. Vomiting is from too much or bad Milk or from a moist Stomach for as dryness retains so moistness loosens If from much Milk they are better after vomiting if from corruption of milk what 's vomited is yellow green c. and stinks worms are known by their signs they that vomit from their birth are the lustiest for the Stomach not being used to meat and taking too much Milk breeds crudities or corrupts the Milk and 't is better to vomit these up but if it last long it causes a washing If from too much Milk give it less if corrupted amend it as before and cleanse the Child with Honey of Roses and then strengthen the Stomach as before and if the humor be sharp and hot give syrup of Pomegranates Currans Coral Apply Emplastrum crusta panis or the stomach cerat to the Stomach SECT XIII Of the pains and puffing of the Belly PAins are often with a Flux from corrupt Milk which breeds wind and sharp humors which gnaws the inward parts so do Worms The Child cryes
Milk let her not be Melancholy but merry and chearful smiling often to divert it She must be sober not given to Wine or other strong Liquors and yet less to the excess of Venus but she may moderately use the first and not wholly abstain from the 2d if her nature require it so it be with her Husband which liberty is freely given then by the great Physitian Jubertus in the 7th chap. of the 5th book of his Popular Errors being founded upon the Experience of alâ— poor Women who bring up their Children very well notwithstanding they lye every Night with their Husbands and from his own alleging that his Wife had Nursed his Children all very well although he lay with her every Night and carressed her as he said like a good and faithful Husband but she must forbear at least an hour or two after to give the Child suck In fine if a Nurse hath all or most of thesâ— Conditions as well respecting her Person aâ— manners and that she maintains this condition by a dyet sit for the Childs temper anâ— not contrary to her own there is then greaâ— reason to believe she is very sit to make a very good Nurse of and to bring up the Soâ— of a Prince in perfect health And now good Mrs. Midwife proceed to shew your skill concerning the diseases of little Children SECT II. Of the Diseases and Symptoms which happen to Children and first of their Diseases in general Mid. SIr withal my heart I shall gladly unfold to you the very depth of my skill and knowledge in this affair and would humbly entreat you that you would be pleased to correct me if I shall at any time offer to utter any thing that may not be according to the rules of art and the practice of learned Physitians for truly Sir we Midwifes must needs acknowledge our selves to have received most of our skill and knowledge from the writings conferences and directions of learned Physitians Now then Sir I have read that Hippocrates divides Childrens diseases according to their ages When he like an Oracle lays down that in new-born Children there are Vlcers in the Mouth Vomitings Coughs Watchings Fears Inflammation of the Navil moistness of the Ears at breeding of their Teeth their Gums itch and they fall into Feavers and Convulsions and a loosness of the belly when they breed their Eye Teeth When they grow older their Tonsils are inflam'd the joints of the Neck are sprained inwardly their breath 's short they have the stone and round Worms Warts standing Yards Strangury Kings-Evil and other swellings then besides these here mentioned by the divine Hippocrates they have other Diseases at other times as that they are generally infected with the Small-Pox and Meazels none or few escaping Tongue tyed Chafing c. concerning which I shall now in particular give you my method of cure beginning first with Feavers Small-Pox and Meazels as the most general SECT III. Of Feavers Meazels and Small-Pox in little Children CHildren are subject to all sorts of Feavers but chiefly that of corrupt Milk which is commonly from Choler 1st therefore give cooling and moistening things to the Nurse as Lettice Endive Succory c. and Emulsions of Barley-water with the four cold seeds Barley cream then purge her gently with Manna Cassia Fistularis Lenitive Electuary c. then give altering remedies to the Infant as Syrup of Violets Lemons Citrons c. dissolv'd in Endive or Cichory or Borage or Bugloss water 4 ounces of water to one of Syrup to which you may add a little white Rose water to make it the more pallatable If the Feaver proceed from breeding Teeth abate the pain of which hereafter and give alterers as abovesaid In the Small-Pox and Meazels you have nothing to do but to observe Natures motions in the driving them forth and to assist her if you see her any ways weak or obstructed by giving the Child a little Claret with Syrup of Clove Gilly-flowers and a little Treacle water but be sure have a care that you encrease not the Feaver Cochenele and Bezoar and Saffron are excellent likewise SECT IV. Of the milky scab Achores Scald-Head and Lice THe milky Scab is at first sucking the Achores after the Achores are not white but the other are and possess the whole body the Achores only Head and Face but are cur'd a like They are commonly thought to be healthful when they run because they prevent Convulsions c. and they often cure of themselves in time but if the matter be very sharp they peirce the Skull Dry these up not rashly so they disfigure not the Face or endanger the Eyes but first try to drive them forth with such things as you were told in the Small Pox let the Nurse forbear sharp salt things prepare her Body with Borrage Succory Endive Bugloss Fumetory Polypody and Dock roots and then purge her with Sena Polypody Epithymum c. If you fear it will turn to a scald Head foment it with a decoction of Mallows Barley Celandine Wormwood Marsh-mallows boild in Boys urine and Barley water and then anoint with Oil of Roses and Lytharge of Gold and if the Scull come to be bare dress it with Honey of Roses and Brandy and after with Powder of round birth-wort and Balsome of Peru Turpentine and Tobacco water If you have occasion to use stronger Medicines for a scald Head take sulphur 2 drams Mustard seed half a dram Stavesacre bryony roots each 1 dram Vinegar 1 ounce Turpentine half an ounce with as much Bears Grease as will make it into an Oyntment or beat water-Cresses with Hogs Grease When the Scab is fallen off pull the hair out by the roots with instruments or Medicines commonly they use a pitch'd cap and pull it violently to bring away the Hair or take Starch or Wheat-flower 2 ounces Rosin half an ounce boil them in water to the consistence of a pultis lay it upon the several Scalds let it stick some days then pluck it off violently For Lice to prevent them let them not eat food of ill juice as Figs c. let her Head be often comb'd and wash'd and purge the Nurse or Child then give things to draw the humor out as you have been taught and then consume the superfluous moisture as with this take Elacampana 2 ounces Briony roots half an ounce Beets herb Mercury Soap-wort each an handful Nitre half an ounce Lupines 2 drams boil them for a Lotion then anoint them with this following take powder of Stavesacre 3 drams Lupines half an ounce Agaric 2 drams quick Sulphur a dram and half Oxe gaul half an ounce with oil of Wormwood as much as will suffice to make it into an Ointment SECT V. Of the watry swelling of the Head WE speake here of the water without the Scul for which take 30 snails with their shels Marjoram Mugwort each an handful with oil of Chamomil make a pultis and snuff up this water often
continually refuses the Breast tosses too and fro if from wind it breaks wind and is gone if from humors 't is constant from tough Flegm the Belly 's bound and dung slimy from sharp humors there 's sign of them if the pain last long Convulsions or Falling-sickness follow If from crude humors and wind give first a Clyster of Chicken Mutton or Veal broth 3 or 4 ounces adding Honey of Roses one ounce with the yelk of an Egg or give it some Oil of sweet Almonds with Sugar-candy and a few Anniseeds powdered a scuple or so which purges new born Babes from green choler and stinking Flegm if given with Sugar pap it allays the pains of the Belly Anoint the Belly with Oil of Dil and foment it with a decoction of Camomil flowers Dil tops and Bays twice a day If pain be from corrupt sharp Milk give Honey of Roses or syrup of Succory with Rubarb or a Clyster of the decoction of bran with Honey or syrup of Roses and anoint as before The puffing comes from too much sucking and not concocting which is cured by a thinner dyet that crudities may be concocted and purging with Honey of Roses SECT XIV Of the Flux of the Belly IF from breeding of Teeth see the signs if from outward cold there are signs of no other causes if from crude humors there 's wind belching and flegmatick excrements but if they be yellow green c. 't is from a hot and sharp humor If it last long stop it if black excrements be voided with a Feaver 't is bad The Child needs not cure so much as the Nurse mend the Milk or change the Nurse and let her not eat green fruit and things of hard concoction If it suck not take away the causes with Honey of Roses then if the cause be hot give syrup of Quinces dry'd Roses Myrtles with a little fine Bole-Armonack Sanguis Draconis or terra sigillata If the cause be cold and excrements white give syrup of Mastick and Mints SECT XV. Of Costiveness IT is from a cold and dry distemper in some from the Birth or from slimy Flegm that wraps the dung which sticks in the Guts this is from bad Milk when the Nurse eats gross food slimy and binding or drinks little or from an hot distemper of the Liver or Kidneys that dryes the excrements or if Choler stirs not up the expulsive faculty then the dung is white and the body yellow Children are more healthful with a loose Belly 't is cured by observing contraries as all other Diseases are from slimy Flegm give Honey of Roses correct the distemper of the Liver c. with syrup of Violets and cooling Emulsions as before In want of Choler the decoction of Grass roots Fennel Sparagus Maiden-hair In all which you may give sometimes Clysters and Suppositories SECT XVI Of Worms THey are known by a stinking Breath troublesome sleep gnashing of Teeth bawling dry Cough Vomiting Hiccups great thirst swell'd Belly or bound or too loose when the Belly is empty and they want food there 's a cold sweat over the Face and an high color with sudden paleness sometimes a Feaver and Convulsion which ceaseth presently First 'T is best to prevent them by eating meats of good juice with Oranges and Lemons c. and avoiding sweet clammy meats Flesh and Fruits If there be Worms kill them with powder of Corraline Wormseed Harts horn or infuse 8 or 10 grains of Mercurius dulcis all Night in Grass Borage or Bugloss water pouring them from the Mercury and give the Child the water The waters with the juices are very good Some apply a Plaister of Aloes to the Navil There is no better thing under the Sun then to infuse a dram or 2 of Sena in water and put some of the juices to it when 't is strain'd Use varieties that the Worms may not be to familiar with one SECT XVII Of the Rupture IF this be from a Gut keep the Belly open keep the Child from crying avoiding motion lay it upon its back thrust it up gently then apply an Emplaster of ad Herniam or Casaris If from water anoint with oil of Elder Bays Rue c. or apply a pultis of powder of Beans Linseed Fenugreek Camomil flowers with these Oils SECT XVIII Of Bunching out and Inflammation of the Navil IF the Midwife left too much of it that it bunches out it is more troublesome then dangerous if the rim of the Belly be loose it starts not much out and is not bigger by crying and wind stretches it out then use a pultis of Cummin Bay-berries Lupines powdered with red Wine then use an Astringent Plaister as in Ruptures and roul it If the rim be broken first put in the Gut then bind it close after you have apply'd an astringent Plaister and given Medicines as against Ruptures The Inflammation is from pain when 't is not well tyed which draws blood to it There 's redness hardness heat and beating if it turn to an Impostume and breaks the Guts come forth and the Child usually dyes if not presently hope by a skilful Chyrurgeon First abate the Inflammation with Vnguentum album and Populeon c. and repel the blood with a dram of Frankincense Acacia and Fleabean seed of each half a dram made into a pultis with some white of an Egg. SECT XIX Of the falling out of the Fundament WHen the Muscle that shuts it is loose then it comes forth if it come from moisture 't is hard to be cur'd especially if there be a looseness for then Medicines cannot lye on If with streining if it be swel'd foment it with a decoction of Mallow and Marsh-mallows or anoint with oil of Lillies then keep it in with astringents as take red Roses Pomegranate pills and flowers Cypress Nuts each half an ounce Sumach Frankincense Mastick each 2 drams boil'd in red Wine foment it with spunge then sprinkle on this powder red Roses and Pomegranates flowers each half a dram Frankincense Mastick each a dram laid upon a clout and kept to the Fundament SECT XX. Of difficulty and stopping of Urine 'T Is caused from thick humors and the Stone that stops the Bladder it s voided by drops and is thick then let a Surgeon try with a Catheter if there be a Stone and if it be not presently cured it turns to one and all natural evacuation in Children being stopt is dangerous Evacuate the humors with Honey of Roses Cassia white Wine and water or take the blood of an Hare dry'd to powder 1 ounce Saxifrage roots powdered 6 drams give from a scruple to half a dram in white Wine or Saxifrage water SECT XXI Of not holding Urine THis comes from a cold and moist distemper which weakens the Muscle that should close the orifice of the Bladder and when much water pricks it it suffers it to come forth sometimes a stone hurts it that it cannot do its duty First then alter the distemper dry and consume the Flegm let the Nurse have a Dyet with Sage Hysop Marjoram c. â—et not the Child drink much SECT XXII Of Leanness and Betwitching IF from little or bad Milk remedy it or from Worms or Worms in the Skin which is known by putting the Child into a Bath and rubbing it with Honey and Bread and then you will see they will put forth their heads like Ash coloured and black hairs in the Back Arms or Legs and all Musculous parts and stick in the Skin and they breed of slimy Matter shut up in the Capillar veins which turns to Worms from transpiration hindred If you find no other outward or inward cause you may suspect a venomous vapour or Witch-craft If for want of Milk change your Nurse or if she have any disease or be contrary to the constitution of the Child If from worms in the Skin when you see their heads appear by rubbing and as before kill them with a Rasor or Crust of Bread If from an occult quality or Witchcraft 't is hard to be cured because we know not the nature of the malignity There are many superstitious things carried about against Witchcraft some having Amber and Coral about the Childs neck If it be from a dry distemper of the whole body there is no better remedy then bathing often in a decoction of Mallows Marsh-Mallows Brankustine Sheeps-head c. anointing after with Oil of sweet Almonds and if it be hot and dry add Lettice Endive Violets Poppy-heads and Onions and after with Oil of Roses and Violets FINIS P. 265 P. 247 P. 95 P. 95 P. 99 P. 46