Bound give it a Clyster of Milk with half an Ounce of Maâ—â—â—s dissolv'd in it Ye may give it inwardly some Mint-water dissolving in it five or 〈◊〉 Grains of Mithridate with some drops of Spirit of Hartshorn This is good also against all kind of Worms if ye add a sufficient quantity of the Spirit Outwardly ye may anoint the Back-bone with Oyl of Amber from the Head quite down to the Hips every Night If the Fits continue ye may give two or three drops inwardly elder Persons can take more Let the Nurse boil Water and Bread very well then add Milk to it and give it to the Child sometimes she may add a little Câ—â—â—ry and at Night if the Child prove very froward add a little Diascordium every other Night Now and then if the Child prove Restless the Nurse that gives Suck may drink a good Draught of White-wine Posset with a Dram of Diascordium mix'd with it She ought to keep her self stirring and bustling up and down that the Milk may be the steâ—r A moderate Exercise and a temperate way of Living are very useful Companions for a good Nurse We see that Persons of Quality and Honour generally Bury two or three out of four Children whilst the Country Labourer sayes seven out of eight The reason of the Dâ—â—â—â—â—ence is too evident Whâ—â— the Child is New Born it is sometimes extreamly afflicted with Throws and Violent Pains To remove so dangerous a Symptom I counsel you immediately upon its coming into the World to rub 〈◊〉 all over with hot Canary or White-wine and fresh Butter or Lard and dry the Child with hot Flannel To some â—hildren if their Circumstances require ye must presently give a Clyster of 〈◊〉 Milk with a Spoonful of the Syrup of Cowslips and a Spoonful or two to the Mother as soon as she is in Bed After that she may take in her Mouth a Spoonful of Sugar with some Nutmegs And sometimes a little of the Tincture of Saffron 'T is made thus Take Saffron two Drams Cochineil powder'd a Dram Treacle-water half a Pint shaking it three or four times a Day at first then let it stand in your Closet as the best of Cordials It chears the Heart resists Melancholy expels Poyson and carries off a Feaver if ye take two or three Ounces of it It may be given also to such Children as are troubled with Phlegm You ought to have Syrup of Violets by you and put up a Violet Comfit for the Child 's Gripes or a Suppository of a Marshmallow Root dipt in Oyl or fresh Butter or Lard stroaking the Stomach Sometimes Infants are troubled with a Sore mouth or as some will have it a Cancer in their mouths In this case take of Borax finely powdered a little in a Quill and blow it into the Child's mouth Let it take often of the Syrup of Mulberries Barberries or Slows or of the Syrup of Woodsorrel If the child be troubled with Fits as it frequently happens take Syrup of single Piony one Ounce Spirit of Castor a Dram Treacle Water two Ounces mix all very well and let the child take it often And ye may add sometimes five drops of liquid Laudanum If the child be afflicted with Worms or be Pot-belly'd let it take 3 of the following Powders every change of the Moon The Pouder is to be kept in a Glass and is to be taken in Broth in the morning 'T is as follows Take Crabs Eyes Scammony finely pouder'd of each an Ounce of Sweet Mercury half an Ounce They must be first well levigated and then mix'd The child may take according to its strength from ten Grains to fifteen or sixteen Sometimes children are born with their Cods full of Wind then ye must bathe them with hot White Wine and Fresh Butter then truss up the child with hot Flannel and give it a spoonful as often as ye will of this Infusion Take one Ounce of Anniseeds one Ounce of Ginger steep 'em in one pint of good Canary and keep it for use If the Infant be troubled with the Fall of the Fundament ye must take the upper Leather of an Old Shooe cut it small and lay it upon the coals in a chafing dish in a close stool and set the child right over the smoak of it and keep the part warm with hot Flannel This will certainly cure it Sometimes the Thighs and Legs of children are so weak and feeble that they ought to be artificially strengthned I can be very positive in commending the following Ointment on such occasions Take Neatsfoot Oyl one Gallon fine Brandy two Pound Fresh Butter eight Pound Green Wheat in Iune twenty Pound Bay Leaves one Pound Bruise all in a Mortar very well then put it into a large well-glaz'd Pot and stir it very well then cover it with Paste very close all round the top put it into an Oven to bake as long as a good big Loaf then draw it out before it be cold strain it out into a good Pot and if ye will add one pound of the Marrow of Oxe Bones it will be the better You must rub the hinder parts of the Thighs and Legs by a fire morning and night 'T is a wonderful strengthener of the Legs I have cured a child in three months with the bare using of it after it had been given over by an Eminent Physician that had it in hand three years and at last said it would never be able to go in this world This Ointment has a wonderful Vertue in asswaging the hardness of Breasts or curdling of the Milk if ye add to every ounce of it two Drams of Sperma Coeti I anoint 'em with it twice a day and draw the Nipple very well and meet with extraordinary success in it For sore Nipples it is incomparable Dry the Nipple with a Rag before ye anoint and after anointing keep the Rag close to the Nipple Whilst I am discoursing of Young Children I 'll take occasion to communicate to you the Composition of another Ointment that is of extraordinary Service in healing all manner of out-breakings in childrens Faces or Heads The Composition is this Take the Fat End of the best Breast of Mutton you can get spit it and roast it all the while it is at the fire baste it extraordinary well with Tar and put one ounce of Cinamon and half an ounce of Cloves grossly pouder'd into the Dripping-Pan so let it drop on the Pouders while it roasts Let it stand all night the next day strain it out into a Pot for use And withal give the child every day of the Syrup of Rhubarb in Drink or Broth with Syrup of Violets The Woman that observes these Rules and manages her Infants neatly is in a fair way of having Lusty Children Some Women are over-careless in not giving the child to suck when it needs it though by the bye 't is as great a Fault to over-suckle a child and choak it with crude raw
little Plaister of Galbanum of the bigness of two or three Fingers Breadth to the Navel in the middle of which may be put two or three Grains of Musk or Civet with Lint This is good for stopping After-Pains The next Care is to be bad of the Breast Some put upon 'em a round Cerecloth of Diachylum cum Gummis I would recommend the following Take Wax Oyl of Myrrh Honey of each two Ounces Wheat-Flower one Spoonful melt these altogether then make a Cerecloth Let them have holes in the middle for the Nipples to go through 'T is fitting likewise to wet the Nipples with the best Rectified Spirit of Wine In regulating the Conduct of a Woman in Childbed respect must be had to her Condition and Quality and for want of this Consideration many Women Perish She that thinks to treat an ordinary Labouring Country Woman like a Person of Quality kills her outright and she that pretends to govern a Person of Quality like an ordinary Country Woman does the same to her If ye give to one of these strong Stomacks presently after their Delivery any strong Broth or Eggs or a draught of Milk they are like Mills that always grind and empty as fast as you pour in such little Cordials have no effect upon some which perhaps would be too strong for a more delicate Constitution for we find by daily Experience that what gives one a Feaver keeps another from it And therefore Women in Childbed are to be governed according to their several respective Constitutions As for the Women that are tenderly brought up great Care must be taken in giving 'em no Meats that clog the Stomach or are hard to be digested For the first eight days of her Lying-in boil'd Meat is more suited to her Condition than Roasted â—â—â—uch as 〈◊〉 the juice of Veal or Capon or Barly-water with fine Sugar dissolv'd with the Juice of a Lemmon or Cinnamon boil'd in it or Coriander Seeds If she drink Wine let it be two thirds water to one part wine in the Morning White-wine in the Afternoon Claret now and then Almond-Milk is not amiss Some Women are so disturb'd in Child-bed that they cannot sleep such I wouâ—d advice to drink Barly-water well boâ—â— without straining mixt with the Syrup of Cowslips or Syrup of Poppies or a little Diasâ—ordium according as their Circumstances may require CHAP. VI. How to know whether the Child in the Womb be dead or alive if dead how to perform her Office with Directions in case of a Mola or false Conception SOmetimes the Child is Dead in the Mothers Belly in which case her Labour is much more difficult and hazardous than when alive and therefore I have thought fit to give some Directions relating to it and in the first place shall put you in some clearer Light in order to know whether the Child be alive or dead that so you may be able to proportionate your Endeavours to the Circumstances of the Patient The Child may be known to be alive if the Mother be at her full Reckoning and hath receiv'd no hurt if she have had her Health well all the time of her going with Child and if she feels it stir But they must take care not to deceive themselves in framing a Judgment from its seeming to stir I have delivered a Woman whose Child had been dead above four hours as was visible by its Corruption yet the Mother affirm'd that she felt it stir but a very little before she was deliver'd That imaginary Motion is distinguishable from the Real by this that in the former it only swags from one side to another without brisking or leaping as it does in the latter This is easily perceivable When the Child is alive he by his strugling disposes the Waters to a breaking if the Mother be willing to help down with her Pains but when dead the Waters are slow in breaking and must be broken by the Hand of the Midwife unless the Woman be very strong to help her self If she find no Relief by hot and forcing Medicines then to be sure the Child is dead and recourse must be had to more than ordinary Assistance If it hath not stirr'd in the Womb for a long time if she feel a great Weight hanging upon her Womb about the time of the Birth if she void stinking corrupted Matter if she have fainting and cold Sweats or floods much before she come at her full time if the Waters broke four or five days before Delivery if her Lips or top of the Nostrils be pale and cold the Belly tho' not sunk yet softer her Eyes sunk with a great pain about the Navel and Loins and a stinking Breath if her Breasts flag and her Countenance have a languishing Aspect or her Colour turn'd into a tawny whiteness and her Lower Belly Feet c. cold In all these Cases there is just reason for suspecting that the Child is dead in her Womb. The which if it be the Labour will be both long and dangerous by reason of the dead Child's Inactivity and the Mothers Weakness in not being able to thrust it out without some accessory help In this case the hand of a Surgeon is needful to draw it out and that as speedily as may be for if the Child continue dead for any time in this its dark Abode the Mother is in a fair way of losing her Life A Mola is a Mass of Flesh without Bowels or Bones being an imperfect Conception owing to the Fault of the Seed And because the extracting of a Mola and a dead Child are much at one as to the manner of Operation I 'll join 'em together Here I must again give you notice that whenever any such preternatural thing is lodg'd in the Womb you ought to draw it out with all possible Speed for if it continue there for any time it fastens to the Womb and sticks there for many Years As the worthy Ambrose Pareus tells us in the Story of the Pewterer's Wife that had one for seventeen Years whom he opened after her Death The manner of extracting all these Preternatural things is just the same as when the Burthen stays behind in a Natural Birth and the Navel-string broke So I conclude it needless to repeat the Directions I have already given upon that Head A False Conception tho much less than a Mola yet it often puts a Woman to a great deal of Trouble and frequently in hazard of her Life by reason of the great Floodings that attend it for the Womb endeavouring to expel it squeezes through the passage a very great discharge of Blood and the passage is generally so narrow that a Man's Hand cannot well get in to assist it As we find always that the Womb does not open or dilate it self beyond the Proportion of what it contains and so it proves a difficult matter to get two Fingers in to help it forward though in the mean while the Womb is not able to
first away they appear very red the third Day they discolour and are less bloody and gradually decay every Day as the Vessels close till at length they turn very Pale and Green To bring these Lochia well down ye must keep the Woman free from any diversion by Looseness or any strong Passions of the Mind as great Fear or Grief or Anger or Swoonings these or great Colds or Astringents produce the worst and most dangerous Symptoms that can befall a Woman after Delivery You may give her Spirit of Hartshorn in every thing she takes Let her drink Broths or Gellies boil'd with Maidenhair or Pellitory of the Wall or Camomile Flowers It is equally dangerous whether there happen too great an abundance of the Lochia or if they be suppress'd unseasonably I have seen when the Floodings have been excessive that Convulsions Syncope's and Fainting Fits have ensued her Legs and Thighs swell'd and after all become Hydropick I have oft times let Blood in such a case with very good success and then gave half an Ounce of Conserve of Roses and two Drams of Diascordium and thirty drops of Liquid Laudanum made into an Electuary with a strong Decoction of Oak-Barks boil'd in Spring Water with some sticks of Cinnamon in it to drink for a Day or two Give the Electuary twice a Day Another Inconvenience that Women in Childbed are liable to is the Relaxation of the Matrix It may proceed from great Fluxes which fall down upon the Ligaments causing them to wax loose or from the Woman's straining her self in Travel before her Time or from the Midwife's putting up her Hand into the Womb and tearing down she knows not what Sometimes Women with Child by lacing themselves too strait cause a conflux of Wind in those parts which makes a Sense as if it were the Head of the Child and hinders her to stand upright or go You must keep her loose with Lenitive Electuary foment the part with a strong Decoction of Oak-bark in Red Wine or Smiths Water or Fume with Mastich upon a hot Iron that the Smoak may go up her Body Morning and Night SECT II. Of the Instruments of Generation in Women the Membranes that enfold the Child in the Womb the Manner of its Generation Encrease and Nourishment in the Womb the Causes of Barrenness and the Means to prevent it the Conduct of a Woman going with Child the Signs of Conception and the Prevention of Miscarriage CHAP. I. Of the Parts serving for Generation in Women I Shall begin this Description of the Instruments of Generation in Women by the Spermatick Preparatory Vessels some of which agree pretty much with those in Men as the Spermatick Vessels the Stones and the Vasa deferentia but differ in some remarkable Circumstances In Women the Spermatick Vessels are shorter by reason of the shortness of the Passage They have more Wreathings Windings and Turnings where they make the Corpus Varicosum about the Testicle that the Seed may have a sufficient stay for its due preparation Secondly they differ in their Insertion In Women they go not whole to the Testicles as in a Man but are divided in the mid-way whence the greater part goes to the Testicles to form the Corpus Varicosum the lesser part to the Womb into whose Sides they are disseminated to nourish the Womb and the Child therein By these Vessels some part of the Menstrual Blood may be purg'd forth in such as are not with Child The second is distributed to the Vas deferens or Trumpet of the Womb. The third creeps along the Sides of the Womb insinuating it self among the Hypogastrick Veins with which and the Arteries they are joyn'd by Anastomoses The Spermatick Veins receive the Hypogastrick Arteries as they pass by the Sides of the Vterus that the Blood might be the better elaborated They are intermix'd with many wonderful Anastamoses for the preparation of Seed for if you blow up the Spermatick Vein both the right and left Vessels of the Womb are blown up From hence ye may understand the Mutual Communication among all the Vessels of the Matrix as hath been observ'd by Fallopius Platerus Riolanus Dr. Tyson Mr. Cooper and others The Testicles in Women are plac'd within the Hypogastrium in some about two Inches above the bottom of the Matrix Their Figure is more broad and flat on the fore and hinder parts they are also more hollow and fuller of Spermatick Juice You may find 'em conglomerated or gather'd into a knob of divers little Kernels or Bladders more or less which contain the thick Seed In Men the Testicles have four Membranes or Coats but in Women only one they are in a closer warmer place and so do not need so thick a covering This single Coat is call'd by some Dartos but where they receive the Seminal Vessels they are half covered over with the Peritonaeum and are knit to the Sides of the Vterus by the two upper Ligaments which are loose and Membranous and out of which in the time of Coition the Seed is thrown They have no Parastatae nor any Cremasters but are stay'd by the broad lateral Ligaments call'd the Batts Wings Their use is to make elaborate and perfect the Seed The Vasa deferentia in Women spring from the lower part of the Testicles and are either inserted with very short passages into the bottom of the Womb or disseminated at the Trumpets of the Womb. They pass by the Membranous Ligaments to the Matrix Their use is partly to carry the Seed to the Trumpets of the Womb to be there further perfected and better elaborated and then reserve it for use These Tubae Fallopianae so call'd from their likeness to a Trumpet of War and found out by Fallopius are two in number one on each side of a nervous thick white and hard substance of a long round Figure hollow within Now as the Vesicae seminales are in Men to preserve the Seed such are these blind Passages in Women through which the concocted Seed is carried and here laid up as in a Storehouse where 't is also better digested by the vertue of the Testicles from whence 't is sent by the Cornua into the Cavity of the Womb. The Vterus Matrix or Womb the receptacle both of the Seed and the Child has its Situation in the middle of the Hypogastrium Call'd Pelvis The Basin by the Os Sacrum and the Flank Bones between the Intestinum Rectum and the Bladder In Virgins tho of a big stature it does not exceed the magnitude of a Wallnut But in Women with Child it dilates it self to such a Capacity as to contain the Child Nature made it at first small to embrace clasp round and cherish the Seed which is but very little in Quantity The substance of the Womb is Membranous that it may be distended or contracted as need shall require 'T is full of wrinkles which in Women impregnated are extended to widen the Womb but after
seven or eight Ounces of Blood from the Arm If she be weak I would recommend to her the following Prescription which I value as a Jewel and have always found very successful in such Cases Take a Quart of fine Caraway Water two Ounces of fine Rhubarb an Ounce of the Syrop of Clove-Gilliflowers Mix altogether in a bottle and shake it three or four times a Day for one Week then strain it off as ye make use of it take two or three Spoonfuls Some that are very weak may take it once in two Days all the time of their being with Child I value it as an incomparable Medicine If ye please ye may distil the following Water Take of fresh Eringo Roots one Pound Dates half a Pound Sweet Almonds four Ounces bruise and pound 'em all to a Pulp Then add Nutmegs three Ounces Mace half an Ounce Barly and Cinnamon water of each a Quart Canary and Balm-water of each a Quart mix and distil adding to every Quart when drawn off four Ounces of fine powder'd Sugar This daily taken nourishes the Child in the VVomb and prevents Miscarriages The following Decoction of Rhubarb is very good in such cases Take two Ounces of Rhubarb four Ounces of Corants bruis'd three Ounces of the Roots of Sorrel half an Ounce of sweet Fennel-seed three Pound of Fountain-water boyl all to two Pound then strain and add of white Sugar clarified three Ounces You may take from two Spoonfuls to three in Milk Water or White-wine or Ale If in case of a sudden Indisposition ye prove Feaverish and Bound and cannot get the abovementioned things made ye may send to the Apothecaries for one Ounce of Diaprunum Lenitive and ten Grains of Sal Prunellae and take the one half of it going to Bed and the other half next Morning drink warm Ale after it 'T is a delicate thing to cool and loosen the Belly to quench Thirst and refresh the Body in Consumptions Hectick Feavers c. if taken often On the other hand 't is as bad to have too great a Looseness as to be Bound too long For once or twice a Day is sufficient If therefore ye be subject to be over loose you may at Night take half an Ounce of Conserve of Red Roses with half a Dram of Diascordium and qualify your Drink with a piece of Steel made red hot I would recommend the following Electuary for stopping of Vomiting expelling Wind removing the Cholick and in general against all cold Diseases in the Head which is also very effectual in stopping a Looseness and strengthening the Child in the Mothers Womb. Take Conserve of Red Roses Green Ginger preserved of each two Ounces Spirit of Vitriol two Drams Work 'em very well in a Mortar then add half an Ounce of the Powder of Cinnamon one Dram of the Powder of Cloves and as much of the Syrup of Violets as is necessary for the Consistency of an Electuary Take one Dram of it as often as ye have occasion now and then a Draught of Cinnamon-water upon it is extraordinary good If the Woman with Child be troubled with a Singultus or Hickup Take three Grains of Musk powder'd in a Glass Mortar Add to it two Ounces of strong Cinnamon-water and ten or fifteen Grains of the Oyl of Cloves and take a Spoonful of it at a time till it be stop'd The Sugar of Tormentil is extraordinary good for strengthening and fastening the Foetus in the Womb if taken twice or thrice a Day in half an Ounce or more of Distill'd Milk-water 'T is made after this manner Take of Tormentil Roots powder'd one Ounce and a half Cinnamon Powder half an Ounce of white Sugar-candy one Pound cinnamon-Cinnamon-water one Pint add all together put 'em in an Earthen Pan over the Fire stirring it gently with a Silver Spoon till it become dry Keep it for use in a Gallypot ty'd down close If you will you may take a Dram of Confectio Alkermes with it or the Syrup of the Juice of Alkermes The following is also very useful 't is call'd Pulvis Griseus or the Gray Powder Take Crabs-Eyes Sage of each two Ounces finely powder'd white Chalk one Ounce Nutmegs powder'd two Drams Mix all very well in a Mortar and tie it down in a Glass 'T is an admirable thing against Looseness pains of the Stomach tho never so vehement and Heart-burning You may take half a Dram or a Dram in Barly Cream or Milk twice a Day Ye may give to a Child as much as will lie upon a Six-pence If she be troubled with Swooning or Fainting Fits the following Corallated Powder is admirable good Take of Red Coral finely powder'd Sugar treble refin'd of each two Ounces Oyl of Cinnamon ten Drops or Powder of Cinnamon two Drams finely powder'd and mix'd in a Mortar very well Then take half a Dram or a Dram in any Cordial Water If she be troubled with Coughs Asthma's Obstructions of the Lungs c. which are all very apt to procure Abortion she may make use of the following Powder Take fine Benjamin an Ounce and an half Sulphur Vive three Ounces Anniseeâ—s one Ounce Sugar of Roses two Ounces powder all very finely then mix 'em The Dose is half a Dram twice a Day in a soft boil'd Egg Morning and Night Or ye may take it three times a Day in Syrup of Hyssop or Liquorice Or Take Spanish Juice of Liquorice slic'd thin three Ounces put it in two Pound of Canary let it be shak'd three or four times a day then add Elecampain-Roots slic'd one Ounce After one Week ye may take from three to four Spoonfuls often If ye please ye may add to it some Syrup of Hyssop or some Syrup of Jujubes I have seen wonderful success with it Sometimes Women with Child are very subject to Pains in the Stomach and loathing of Meat I use to give on such occasions the following Electuary Take Conserve of Clovegilliflowers and Conserve of Red Roses of each two Ounces Syrup of Citron one Ounce Cloves in gross Powder one Ounce mix it in a Mortar for an Electuary You may take the quantity of a Nutmeg in a morning and as much at Night As to the Fluxes of whatever sort that may occasion Abortion or Miscarriage I advise you to take fifteen or thirty drops of Laudanum Liquidum Cydoniatum in a Glass of Canary going to Bed and repeat it often It wonderfully eases all Pains procures Sleep stops all Fluxes in a short time removes Colick Pains or any sort of Disturbance in the Body and comforts the Spirits Or she may take two or three Spoonfuls of a Pearl Cordial or the same quantity of the Syrup of Corals which I choose to prepare after this manner Take of Juice of Limons or Lime-Juice or extraordinary good Vinegar one Pint white Sugar-candy finely powdered one Pound gently melt it over the Fire and add of the Powder of Red Corals finely powder'd two Ounces then continue still to keep it
both but before I proceed any further there are some accessory qualities besides that of Knowledge and Dexterity which are very graceful and desireable in a Midwife which I cannot well pass by She ought to be neither too young nor too Old of a good habit of Body her Hands small and gentile with her Nails pared close and without Rings in the time of her Duty She must be chearful pleasant strong laborious and inur'd to Fatigue it being required that she should be â—tirring at all hours and abiding a long time together with her Patient She ought to be Courteous Sober Chaste of an even patient Temper not apt to repine or quarrel she ought to be Wise and Silent not apt to talk foolishly of what she sees in the Houses where she hath to do to observe the Humour of her Patient and endeavour to divert her with what she finds most agreeable She ought to be a Woman of Understanding capable to counsel advise and Comfort the Person in Labour to bear her up under despondency to fortify her against Fear or Immoderate Repining Lastly she ought to be a Religious Pious Woman as the fittest Person to be about People in that Extremity of Danger Women of no Principle are generally biass'd by Interest or an imaginary Reputation They love to engross all the Credit and Honour of an Operation to themselves rather than any body should share with them in a Creditable Performance they 'll endanger the Life both of Mother and Child But such Women who are either tender of their own own Souls or of their Patients Lives will be more willing to yield to any thing that may contribute to their Benefit If the assistance of a Man-Surgeon be necessary to accomplish the work they 'll give 'em timely notice to send for him One would think that it would justifie a Midwife's Knowledge and Honesty to send for an Assistant in case of danger more than if she confided too much in her own Capacity To suffer either Woman or Child to die under her Hand is a tarnish upon her Reputation But to advise or counsel a poor Woman in case of Extremity to be Laid by a Man and so save her Life is a Laudable Action Suppose she wav'd her imaginary Reputation to save their Lives she 'll be valued and esteem'd the more amongst all the good and Wise. The cases in which they ought to call for Assistance are when the Child presents amiss or the Birth comes wrong either with or without Pain When Floodings happen with Blood tho' there be little or no Pain When the Waters are broken and the Child does not follow whether at full time or not In this last Case 't is absolutely necessary for Convulsions and many other dismal accidents may happen upon retarding the Delivery There are some froward and self-conceited Midwives that stand not to perswade the poor Women that whenever a Man comes one or both must necessarily die By this means it sometimes comes to pass that a Man is not sent for till the last Gasp till the Woman be just a dying or the Child dead already But such as have ever experienc'd the benefit of being Laid by a Skillful Man-Midwife won't be so easily scar'd by such inconsiderable Bugbears A Man expert in his Galling if timely sent for will deliver the Woman in a Moment save her a great deal of Trouble and Pain and by successful Operations justifie the Merits of his Profession We have some Instances of publick Punishment inflicted on such Midwives in the Neighbouring Kingdom of France for being accessory to the murther both of the Mother and Child I remember a particular Example when the King of France called a Midwife in Question for not calling for a Man's Assistance in a case of extream danger the Crime was lookt upon as but one remove from murther and the barbarous Woman forbid publick Practice for ever CHAP. II. What preparatory offices are incumbent on the Midwife when the Woman is near the time of her Delivery WHen a Woman with Child is apprehensive of her approaching Labour she ought to have her House and Family in Order lest any occasional Disorder should disturb her in the time of her Lying-in she ought to have hâ—r own Room clean and sweet the Linnen about her Body clean and what Linnen is necessary for other occasions got ready and in its proper place that when her Pains come they may not be hurrying and shuffling about from Room to Room crying Where is this or Where is that When all things within doors are put to rights they ought to be quick in calling the Midwife rather sooner than later Some Women have a trick of putting it off as long as ever they can before they send for the midwife but the safer way is to send for her as soon as they find the least motion to a Delivery for fear of a Surprisal Her midwife being call'd the next thing is to send for the Assistance of some sober wise Women among her Neighbours such as have gone through the like hazard before but above all take care there be no frightful whimsical resolute head-strong drunken whispering talkative sluttish Women amongst them Any of these Extreams is not not only unsuitable and unbecoming but highly pernicious One of such Women may do more harm than three modest wise Women can do good CHAP. III Explaining a Midwife's Duty in time of Travel First know if she is in her full time by asking her and when you find her Pains growing let her walk leisurely up and down the Chamber for some time afterwards she may lye down keeping herself warm then give her the following Draught which may be repeated every hour or two Take three or four Spoonfuls of cinnamon-Cinnamon-water twenty drops of Spirit of Hartshorn and half a dram of Borax finely powder'd mix all together and give it her to drink when lying upon the Bed After that she may rise and walk again expecting the coming down of her Waters and the opening of the Womb and after a hour or two take the like quantity again if her Pains don't prevent it As to the Posture of her Body 't is certain all Women are not alike easie in the same Posture Some are best Deliver'd lying in their Beds others sitting on a Chair or Stool or on the side of the Bed others on their Knees being supported by People under their Arms. But if she be Delivered in her Bed which I take to be the best way let her be laid upon her Back her Head lifted up a little higher with a Pillow her Thighs and Knees must be a good way separated the one from the other with her Legs bowed and drawn up towards her Buttocks the Soles of her Feet and her Heels being held by two strong Women Her own Personal Duty is to be of good Courage to force her Pains down as much as she can by stopping her Mouth and keeping her Breath And when
her Pains come quick and strong beginning at the Reins and sliding down forwards to the Navel and then to the Groins and also inwardly at the bottom of the Belly down to the Neck of the Womb 't is a certain Sign that the Woman is in Labour or will miscarry But for more Satisfaction the midwife may put up her Hand after having annointed it with fine Oil Lard ot Butter and if she perceive the Inner Neck of the Womb to dilate it self she ought to look for the Delivery for that puts it beyond all doubt that Nature is pushing the Child forwards Therefore if she see the Birth come naturally and the Pains grow thicker and faster and feel the Womb opening its Orifice to make way for the Child endeavouring its Exit she ought to assist Nature and withal encourage the Mother to strain and press with her Lower Parts but with all possible Caution so as not to over-act her part or anticipate Nature for if she be so hasty as to widen the Passage with her Fingers or to break the Membranes before the Birth be advanced she creates a great deal of Mischief in making the Waters to break and spend themselves before the Child be come up to be benefited by it The just consideration of such a Consequence ought to oblige all Midwives to wait till the Membranes burst of their own accord Some I warrant you are in haste and want to be gone to another Womans Labour and if the Membranes linger in bursting of their own accord they 'll tear 'em with their Nails rather than dance Attendance upon one Woman Thus these unchristian Women endanger both the Life of Mother and Child which is not half so much in their View as the Money The preserving the Passages slippery and moist facilitates the Birth and lessens the poor Womans Pain which cannot but receive Encrease when the Waters design'd for moistning the passage are unseasonably let out If the Child present naturally the Head comes first then the Midwife must take it gently between her two Hands and when the Pains return slip down her Hands under the Arm-holes and gently draw the Infant forth by degrees but she must observe always to stay her Hand when the Pains begin to relent This must be perform'd by a delicate tender Hand lest the Child by any rough or harsh handling should receive a deform'd shape of Body CHAP. IV Containing Directions to a midwife what to do when the Child is just come into the World WHen the Child is come into the World which is commonly with his Face downward it must be suddenly turned upon its back to prevent its being stifled for want of Air. Then let the Midwife pull out the Navel-string leaving the length of Four Fingers and tye it with a silk Thread as near the Belly as may be laid aside while this is a doing all Care must be had that the Head and Stomach be well cover'd and that nothing come upon the Face The Midwife's next task is gently to draw forth the After-birth If the Navel-string be not broken it will easily conduct the Hand by following it to the place where the After-birth lies which is generally between the Navel and Small of the Woman's Belly And indeed 't is a great Conveniency to have this guide upon which account I would advise all Midwives to be very cautious in handling the Navel-string for fear they break it As soon then as you have introduc'd your Hand into the Womb towards its Fund or Bottom you will find the Burthen which you may know by a great number of little unequal Risings which are always made there by the Roots of the Umbilical Vessels on the one side where they terminate which makes it to be easily distinguishable from the Womb. If it still adhere to the Womb you must put some of your Fingers between it and the Womb endeavouring by little and little to squeeze 'em in till ye find it quite loose and then draw it forth very carefully But in all this Operation you must carefully take notice not to scratch or scrape the least part of the Womb for fear of creating a Flooding Inflammation Gangrene or Ulcers which generally prove very fatal As likewise not to draw it out till it be wholly or most part of it separated for fear of drawing forth the Womb along with it Besides the Company is generally curious to see it and if it be whole not torn or rent it redounds to the credit and reputation of the Midwife Therefore I would advise all Midwives never to extract the Burthen without putting up their Hand to separate it cleanly from the Womb. This done the Child may be held in a good Mothers Lap and kept warm whilst the Midwife is busied in taking Care of the Woman to get her into Bed and her Skirt ready and her Closures putting five double up to the Womb to prevent the cold Air 's entring in Then she must lay her Legs a-cross and so be left to fall asleep by degrees If she be very Faintish she may take a Dram of Confection Alkermes in cinnamon-Cinnamon-water or Wine or fine Oyl and Sugar-Candy or Nutmeg and Sugar or Oyl of Sweet Almonds and Syrup of Maidenhair or a little Gruel or Cawdel The Woman being thus taken Care of she must turn next to the Child and having tyed up the Navel-string she ought in the next place to cleanse the Infant not only in the Face but over the whole Body then anoint the Groins Hips Buttocks Thighs and Joints with Oyl of sweet Almonds or fresh Butter and Beer or Water and Lard warm'd This makes the Skin more firm shuts up its Pores securing 'em from the offence of the Circumambient Air. After the Child is thus well anointed dried and wrapt up she may give it in a Spoon a little fine Oyl and Sugar with a little Cinnamon-water or Sack and Sugar and Oyl or Mithridate taking the quantity of a Pease in Wine with a little Spirit of Lavender After that let it rest half an hour then let it go to the Breast or if you please you may first give a Pap Spoonful of Gruel or Cawdel to make the Mouth slippery It many times happens that the Mother having two Children in her Belly the one comes forth very well and the other with a great deal of Difficulty in which case that which comes first is the strongest The Midwife's Duty upon such Occasions is when the first is brought forth to Cut the Navel-String as was above directed and tye it fast to the Womans Thigh with Tape or Filleting and then set about drawing forth the other Infant which must be gone about very Cautiously observing all the Rules already mentioned CHAP. V. How to manage the Woman when Delivered Having now conducted you through the different Circumstances of Labour and Delivery my next Business is to shew how you are to treat the Woman when laid in the Straw You must apply a
more they are so plaguy troublesome that tho' taken away they commonly return again After Delivery indeed they use to vanish of their own accord But this Patient was so extreamly afflicted that I never saw a Woman in the like Condition I directed her to the following Ointment Take one Dram of Sperma Ceti half an Ounce of Ointment of Roses two Drams of the Spirit of Vinegar Melt all over the Fire and use it Night and Morning after the Skin is well cleansed CHAP. VIII Of the Cesarean Section or Cutting the Child out of the Mother 's Womb. WHen the Woman dies and the Child is alive in her Belly we sometimes open her up and take out the Child Some foolish People talk of performing this Operation upon living Women in a dangerous Labour to save the Child's Life and therefore would call it Cesarean Section in imitation of Cesar's Birth 't is true there would be some pretext of excuse to make Martyrs of poor Women to bring a second Cesar or some great and new Prophet into our Western World but 't is not known that ever there was any Law Christian or Civil which countenanc'd the Martyrdom of the Mother to save the Child Some Country Gossips will tell you they know such yet living whose Sides have been opened to make way for the Child But such Stories as these are only fit Entertainment for Fools and Children A Surgeon must never practise this cruel Operation whilst the Mother is alive but when she is dead he ought not to neglect it and what he does he must do it quickly because delay will certainly be the Death of the Child The Greeks were acquainted with this Operation and call'd it Embriulie Most Authors would have it made on the left side of the Belly it being more free from the Liver which is on the right Some are for opening just in the middle of the Belly between the two right Muscles because in this place there is only the covering and the white Line to cut To dispatch then with more ease and speed the Surgeon having plac'd himself the dead Body may be a little rais'd Let him take a good sharp Incision-Knife make one or two stroaks into the Peritonaeum and then gently take out the Child CHAP. IX Of the Various Symptoms happening to Women in Childbed and the Methods of Cure THE Womb may be fitly compared to a rough Sea in which the Child floats for the space of nine Months The Labour of Delivery is the only Port but full of dangerous Rocks The Woman after she has arriv'd at the desired Port of Delivery and has disengag'd her self of her Loading has yet much need of help to defend her self against a great many Inconveniencies which may ensue upon her Travel In the first place she must keep a Temperate Diet having a great care not to over-fill her self after so great an Evacuation Indeed her Diet must be like that of Wounded Persons Neither are Nurses Tales to be believed who exhort 'em to fill after so great an emptiness telling them that the loss of Blood must be restor'd These are mere Fooleries for that Blood which she has lost is but unnecessary and useless Blood dam'd up in the Womb for the space of nine Months the Efflux of which must needs be conducive to Health Her Nourishment therefore for the first Days must be but slender for fear of falling into a Feaver and hastening the Milk too fast into the Breasts where 't is in danger of Curding or Apostematising Upon this account she ought to confine her self for some time to Panada's Broths Gellies Potch'd Eggs c. If she be very strong and hearty and can Nurse her Child she may feed a little more plentifully and drink often Barly Water wherein some Coriander or Caraway or Fennel Seeds may be boil'd This will partly add to the Childs Health keeping it free of Gripes Throws and sowre Belchings Some Women after Delivery are troubled with a Tentigo when the Clitoris encreases to an over great measure 't is a Nervous piece of Flesh which the Lips or Wings of the Privities do embrace and which undergoes Erection in the Act of Venery In some 't is as big as the Neck of a Goose and hangs below the Orifice of the Privities Sometimes this may be occasion'd by the Midwife's hurting the part Or it may become loose and porous by often handling which may cause a great concourse of Humours and so the Nervous Body is enlarged to an extraordinary bigness I have oftentimes cur'd this Symptom by cutting it away but so as to avoid Inflammation Some are troubled with Hemorrhoids of the Womb which are little Protuberancies like those of the Fundament produced in the Neck of the VVomb by the abundance of Feculent Blood that resorts thither where the Veins end They are cur'd by revulsion of Humours by mitigating asswaging Insessions and Purging if other Circumstances do not forbid Oftentimes the VVoman receives prejudice from the Bruises and Rents of the outward parts of the VVomb occasion'd by hard Labour The Childs Head in passing makes a violent Distention and Separation of the four Caruncles And those parts having once given way to an Infant are ever after easily relax'd and extended and so every Travel comes with less pain than the preceding Sometimes it happens that the Midwife's Nails have scratch'd and rent the parts through Carelesness and Inadvertency But whenever such Contusions or Rents happen they must not be neglected lest they degenerate into malignant Ulcers After pains are the common Bane of the Welfare of Women in Childbed They say they are not so much troubled with 'em of their first Child as of the following But that is no certain Rule Experience confirms that they happen indifferently after first or last Labours according as their various Dispositions are Let the Nurse lay on a Galbanum Plaister and keep the Belly very hot and then give her some Cinnamon Water with Mithridate and a few drops of the Spirit of Hartshorn or liquid Laudanum This will very often carry off their Gripings Collicks and other After-pains Commonly they go away of themselves in 2 or 3 Days time If they be sharp and obstinate and threaten to continue longer you must give frome one Ounce to two or three of Aqua Bryoniae Composita with some drops of the Spirit of Hartshorn and a Dram of Confectio Alkermes Some give this same Draught to hasten and facilitate the Birth or to bring away the After-birth and cleanse the Womb. As to the Lochia which flow from the Womb in Childbed Galen says They are only Vicious Humours and the residue of the Blood with which the Child was nourished in the Womb which flows out when the Womb is open'd by the Birth Perhaps 't is the same Blood as us'd to be purg'd out every Month before Conception It may proceed from a Wound made by loosening the Burthen from the Womb for when it comes
Evil temperature of the Body or vicious conformation of the Womb. Sometimes the Vagina or Neck is so narrow that it cannot make way for the entrance of the Yard It knocks in vain at the Door and meets with such resistance in the anti-chamber as obliges it to retire No conception can be without the entrance of the Yard and the consequent emission of Seed 'T is true indeed a false conception may arise from the abundance of the Mother's Seed in the Womb but a true conception cannot be without the Man's The Orifice or Vagina may be shut up by some Tumor or Callosity or by abundance of ill humors that joyn together and make as it were a compress of the part Sometimes there is no defect in the Vagina the inward Orifice opens regularly enough to give way for passing the Seed yet Women Nevertheless continue Barren if their Womb be cold and the Seed be not receiv'd with some wellcome warth then it slips out again for want of kind Entertainment Or if the Womb be moist by reason of the Seed's being choak'd and extinguish'd in the prevailing moisture which is commonly accompany'd with a cold temperature or if the Womb be too dry and hot for then the Seed is burnt up and exhal'd 'T is the moderate and temperate constitution that is bless'd with many Children Some Women have their parts so unctuous and slippery that the Womb does not retain and embrace the Seed but suffers it to slip out again This may come by the frequent running of the whites Some likewise who are Hectick Hydropick Feaverish or Sickly are not apt to conceive VVe ought to endeavour to remove all these hindrances by their respective cures and so bring such Women from under the Malediction of Barrenness VVe have daily instances of Women that having continued for some time Barren do become fertile Nature it self oft-times vanquishes the difficulties that stood in the way as in the Queen Mother of France that was Barren for two Years together and then bore their present Monarch Lewis the Fourteenth If there be a Narrowness in the Neck of the Womb or Orifice it may hinder Conception The Signs are the Stoppage of the Courses follow'd with a depressing weighty pain for the Passage being so narrow she cannot receive the Man or his Seed and is depriv'd of the Benefit of Coition neither can the Flowers have a free passage but being beat back retire to the Womb where they create a sense of weight and would obstruct Conception tho the Passage should happen to be enlarg'd I have sometimes met with a spongy luxuriant Flesh of a Brawny Substance in those parts I have had very good success by ordering Insessions and Fomentations in these Cases In a word whoever would remove Barrenness must endeavour to find out the Cause of it and apply the respective Remedies as whether it proceeds from any fault in either Instruments of Generation or in the Seed or from an undue proportion and mixture of the two or from Obstructions in the Womb or its Coldness Heat and other irregular Conditions CHAP. V. Directions how a Woman shall know when she has Conceiv'd what Conduct she ought to observe during the Time of her being with Child so as to prevent Miscarriage I Have thought fit to joyn the Signs of Conception and Abortion together that Women as soon as ever they have observ'd themselves with Child may take care to avoid all the Causes of Abortion First 'T is thought a credible Sign of Conception if the Woman either the tenth Day after Coition or sooner perceive her Terms be they Whites or Reds with Pains and Giddiness in her Head and a Mist over the Sight and afterwards the Apples of the Eyes lessened the Eyes swell'd and swarthy the Breasts grown big and hard with pain and the Nipples grown red If she be troubled with a great loathing of Meat and Drink with Longings after various Meats and a continual Vomiting sowre Belchings sudden Joy follow'd by sudden Grief a shooting pain about the Back and Belly The Courses stop when a Woman has Conceiv'd The Urine becomes White with a Cloud swimming at the top wherein are to be seen many Atomes which in the first Month do commonly sink to the bottom and if ye shake it it seems like Wool If the Courses flow often out of the Womb in the time of Childbearing 't is an Argument of an Unhealthy Child where by the bye 't is to be remark'd that the fattest Women generally bear weakest Infants Abortion or Miscarriage is when a Woman brings forth an Untimely Birth which may proceed from divers Causes as from a sudden Fright or Fall from Running Leaping or using immoderate Exercise from unreasonable Watchings great Wrath over much Fear Grief or Sorrow from longing for that which is not to be had unsatiable Copulation and Lust unusual Fatness against Nature c. Syncope's or Swoonings Blows or such like External Accidents are common Causes as also a Flux of the Womb which is a very dangerous Symptom and signifies that the Vessels and Membranes of the Womb are broken and Abortion just at hand If Blood either pure or watery come from her 't is a Sign likewise that the Ligaments wherewith the Child is fastened to the Womb are broken asunder which makes the Mouth of the Womb open and alters the Situation of the Child thus it rolls down towards the Gate and the Woman bending her Strength the Child is unseasonably expell'd to her own great danger To prevent such Tragical Consequences I would have all Women endeavour to qualifie and temperate their Humour Upon every Surprize let her lie down upon her Bed and indeavour to forget what 's past let her by all means see to keep her self cleanly and dry let her be chearful and avoid all violent Motion abstain from all Mourning Sighing and extraordinary Grief not rising up too suddenly nor leaping or over-reaching with her Arms let her Company be agreeable her Diet frugal and moderate She must be very careful to abstain from gross Meats or such as are of difficult Digestion In the Morning let her Eat variety of Gruels Panado's Broths and such like and at Night the same At Dinner let her please her self and take what she likes best provided it be not heavy or indigestible Mutton Veal Rabbets c. are convenient Food for her Above all let her be careful of avoiding Costiveness nothing is more likely to occasion a Miscarriage To prevent this Inconveniency let her take half an Ounce of Lenitive Electuary with half a Dram of Sal Prunel or Cremor Tartari mix 'em very well and let her take it before Dinner it gently opens and loosens the Bowels and is a noble thing in many other cases If often taken it prevents breeding the Stone and Melancholly Feavers It may be taken also at Night works very gently and pleasantly and requires no Confinement If her Blood be exalted and high let her take