The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher Part 16

(7) The juice of leeks, being drunk with warm water, highly operates to cause speedy delivery.

(8) Take peony seeds and beat them into a powder, and mix the powder with oil, with which oil anoint the privities of the woman and child; it will give her deliverance speedily, and with less pain than can be imagined.

(9) Take a swallow's nest and dissolve it in water, strain it, and drink it warm, it gives delivery with great speed and much ease.

Note this also in general, that all that move the terms are good for making the delivery easy, such as myrrh, white amber in white wine, or lily water, two scruples or a drachm; or ca.s.sia lignea, dittany, each a drachm; cinnamon, half a drachm, saffron, a scruple; give a drachm, or take borax mineral, a drachm, and give it in sack; or take ca.s.sia lignea, a drachm; dittany, amber, of each a drachm; cinnamon, borax, of each a drachm and a half; saffron, a scruple, and give her half a drachm; or give her some drops of oil of hazel in convenient liquor; or two or three drops of oil of cinnamon in vervain water. Some prepare the secundine thus:--Take the navel-string and dry it in an oven, take two drachms of the powder, cinnamon a drachm, saffron half a scruple, with the juice of savin make trochisks; give two drachms; or wash the secundine in wine and bake it in a pot; then wash it in endive water and wine, take half a drachm of it; long pepper, galangal, of each half a drachm; plantain and endive seed, of each half a drachm; lavender seed, four scruples; make a powder, or take laudanum, two drachms; storax, calamite, benzoin, of each half a drachm; musk, ambergris each six grains, make a powder or trochisks for a fume. Or use pessaries to provoke the birth; take galbanum dissolved in vinegar, an ounce; myrrh, two drachms, with oil of oat make a pessary.

_An Ointment For the Navel._

Take oil of keir, two ounces, juice of savine an ounce, of leeks and mercury, each half an ounce; boil them to the consumption of the juice; add galbanum dissolved in vinegar, half an ounce, myrrh, two drachms, storax liquid a drachm, round bitwort, sowbread, cinnamon, saffron, a drachm, with wax make an ointment and apply it.

If the birth be r.e.t.a.r.ded through the weakness of the mother, refresh her by applying wine and soap to the nose, confect. alkermas. diamarg.

These things may be applied to help nature in her delivery when the child comes to the birth the right way, and yet the birth be r.e.t.a.r.ded; but if she finds the child comes the wrong way, and that she is not able to deliver the woman as she ought to be, by helping nature, and saving both mother and child (for it is not enough to lay a woman if it might be done any other way with more safety and ease, and less hazard to woman and child), then let her send speedily for the better and more able to help; and not as I once knew a midwife do, who, when a woman she was to deliver had hard labour, rather than a man-midwife should be sent for, undertook to deliver the woman herself (though told it was a man's business), and in her attempting it, brought away the child, but left the head in the mother's womb; and had not a man midwife been presently sent for, the mother had lost her life as well as the child; such persons may rather be termed butchers than midwives. But supposing the woman's labour to be natural, I will next show what the midwife ought to do, in order of her delivery.

CHAPTER V

_Of Natural Labour; What it is and what the Midwife is to do in such Labour._

SECTION I.--_What Natural Labour is._

There are four things which denominate a woman's natural labour; the first is, that it be at the full time, for if a woman comes before her time, it cannot be termed natural labour, neither will it be so easy as though she had completed her nine months. The second thing is, that it be speedy, and without any ill accident; for when the time of her birth come, nature is not dilatory in the bringing it forth, without some ill accident intervene, which renders it unnatural.

The third is, that the child be alive; for all will grant, that the being delivered of a dead child is very unnatural. The fourth is, that the child come right, for if the position of the child in the womb be contrary to that which is natural, the event will prove it so, by making that which should be a time of life, the death both of the mother and the child.

Having thus told you what I mean by natural labour, I shall next show how the midwife is to proceed therein, in order to the woman's delivery. When all the foregoing requisites concur, and after the waters be broken of themselves, let there rather a quilt be laid upon the pallet bedstead than a feather bed, having there-on linen and cloths in many folds, with such other things as are necessary, and that may be changed according to the exigency requiring it, so that the woman may not be incommoded with the blood, waters and other filth which are voided in labour. The bed ought to be ordered, that the woman being ready to be delivered, should lie on her back upon it, having her body in a convenient posture; this is, her head and breast a little raised, so that she may be between lying and sitting, for being so placed, she is best capable of breathing, and, likewise, will have more strength to bear her pains than if she lay otherwise, or sunk down in her bed. Being so placed, she must spread her thighs abroad, folding her legs a little towards her b.u.t.tocks, somewhat raised by a little pillow underneath, to the end that her rumps should have more liberty to retire back; and let her feet be stayed against some firm thing; besides this, let her take firm hold of some of the good women attending her, with her hands, that she may the better stay herself during her pains. She being thus placed at her bed, having her midwife at hand, the better to a.s.sist as nature may require, let her take courage, and help her pains as best she can, bearing them down when they take her, which she must do by holding her breath, and forcing them as much as possible, in like manner as when she goes to stool, for by such straining, the diaphragm, or midriff, being strongly thrust downward, necessarily forces down the womb and the child in it. In the meantime, let the midwife endeavour to comfort her all she can, exhorting her to bear her labour courageously, telling her it will be quickly over, and that there is no fear but that she will have a speedy delivery. Let the midwife also, having no rings on her fingers, anoint them with oil of fresh b.u.t.ter, and therewith dilate gently the inward orifice of the womb putting her finger ends into the entry thereof, and then stretch them one from the other, when her pains take her; by this means endeavouring to help forward the child, and thrusting by little and little, the sides of the orifice towards the hinder part of the child's head, anointing it with fresh b.u.t.ter if it be necessary.

When the head of the infant is a little advanced into the inward orifice, the midwife's phrase is:--"It is crowned"; because it girds and surrounds it just as a crown; but when it is so far that the extremities begin to appear without the privy parts, then they say, "The infant is in the pa.s.sage"; and at this time the woman feels herself as if it were scratched, or p.r.i.c.ked with pins, and is ready to imagine that the midwife hurts her, when it is occasioned by the violent distension of those parts and the laceration which sometimes the bigness of the child's head causeth there. When things are in this posture, let the midwife seat herself conveniently to receive the child, which will come quickly, and with her finger ends (which she must be sure to keep close pared) let her endeavour to thrust the crowning of the womb (of which I have spoken before), back over the head of the child, and as soon as it is advanced as far as the ears, or thereabouts, let her take hold of the two sides with her two hands, that when a good pain comes she may quickly draw forth the child, taking care that the navel-string be not entangled about the neck or any part, as sometimes it is, lest thereby the after-burden be pulled with violence, and perhaps the womb also, to which it is fastened, and so either cause her to flood or else break the strings, both which are of bad consequence to the woman, whose delivery may thereby be rendered the more difficult. It must also be carefully observed that the head be not drawn forth straight, but shaking it a little from one side to the other, that the shoulders may sooner and easier take their places immediately after it is past, without losing time, lest the head being past, the child be stopped there by the largeness of the shoulders, and so come in danger of being suffocated and strangled in the pa.s.sage, as it sometimes happens, for the want of care therein. But as soon as the head is born, if there be need, she may slide her fingers under the armpits, and the rest of the body will follow without any difficulty.

As soon as the midwife hath in this manner drawn forth the child, let her put it on one side, lest the blood and water which follows immediately, should do it any injury by running into its mouth and nose, as they would do, if it lay on its back; and so endanger the choking of it. The child being thus born, the next thing requisite is, to bring away the after-burden, but before that let the midwife be very careful to examine whether there be more children in the womb; for sometimes a woman may have twins that expected it not; which the midwife may easily know by the continuance of the pains after the child is born, and the bigness of the mother's belly. But the midwife may be sure of it, if she puts her hand up to the entry of the womb, and finds there another watery gathering, and the child in it presenting to the pa.s.sage, and if she find it so, she must have a care of going to fetch the after-birth, till the woman be delivered of all the children she is pregnant with.

Wherefore the first string must be cut, being first tied with a thread three or four times double, and fasten the other end with string to the woman's thighs, to prevent the inconvenience it may cause by hanging between the thighs; and then removing the child already born, she must take care to deliver her of the rest, observing all the circ.u.mstances as with the first; after which, it will be necessary to fetch away the after-birth, or births. But of that I shall treat in another section, and first show what is to be done to the new-born infant.

SECT. II.--_Of the Cutting of the Child's Navel String._

Though this is accounted by many but as a trifle, yet great care is to be taken about it, and it shows none of the least art and skill of a midwife to do it as it should be; and that it may be so done, the midwife should observe: (1) The time. (2) The place. (3) The manner. (4) The event.

(1) The time is, as soon as ever the infant comes out of the womb, whether it brings part of the after-burden with it or not; for sometimes the child brings into the world a piece of the amnios upon its head, and is what mid wives call the _caul_, and ignorantly attribute some extraordinary virtue to the child so born; but this opinion is only the effect of their ignorance; for when a child is born with such a crown (as some call it) upon its brows, it generally betokens weakness and denotes a short life. But to proceed to the matter in hand. As soon as the child comes into the world, it should be considered whether it is weak or strong; and if it be weak, let the midwife gently put back part of the natural and vital blood into the body of the child by its navel; for that recruits a weak child (the vital and natural spirits being communicated by the mother to the child by its navel-string), but if the child be strong, the operation is needless. Only let me advise you, that many children that are born seemingly dead, may soon be brought to life again, if you squeeze six or seven drops of blood out of that part of the navel-string which is cut off, and give it to the child inwardly.

(2) As to the place in which it should be cut, that is, whether it should be cut long or short, it is that which authors can scarcely agree in, and which many midwives quarrel about; some prescribing it to be cut at four fingers' breadth, which is, at best, but an uncertain rule, unless all fingers were of one size. It is a received opinion, that the parts adapted to the generation are contracted and dilated according to the cutting of the navel-string, and this is the reason why midwives are generally so kind to their own s.e.x, that they leave a longer part of the navel-string of a male than female, because they would have the males well provided for the encounters of Venus; and the reason they give, why they cut that of the female shorter is, because they believe it makes them more acceptable to their husbands. Mizaldus was not altogether of the opinion of these midwives, and he, therefore, ordered the navel string to be cut long both in male and female children; for which he gives the following reason, that the instrument of generation follows the proportion of it; and therefore, if it be cut too short in a female, it will be a hindrance to her having children. I will not go about to contradict the opinions of Mizaldus; these, experience has made good:--That one is, that if the navel-string of a child, after it be cut, be suffered to touch the ground, the child will never hold its water, either sleeping or waking, but will be subjected to an involuntary making of water all its lifetime. The other is, that a piece of a child's navel-string carried about one, so that it touch his skin, defends him that wears it from the falling sickness and convulsions.

(3) As to the manner it must be cut, let the midwife take a brown thread, four or five times double, of an ell long, or thereabouts, tied with a single knot at each of the ends, to prevent their entangling; and with this thread so accommodated (which the woman must have in readiness before the woman's labour, as also a good pair of scissors, that no time may be lost) let her tie the string within an inch of the belly with a double knot, and turning about the end of the thread, let her tie two more on the other side of the string, reiterating it again, if it be necessary; then let her cut off the navel-string another inch below the ligatures, towards the after-birth, so that there only remains but two inches of the string, in the midst of which will be the knot we speak of, which must be so close knit, as not to suffer a drop of blood to squeeze out of the vessels, but care must be taken, not to knit it so strait, as to out it in two, and therefore the thread must be pretty thick and pretty strait cut, it being better too strait than too loose; for some children have miserably lost their lives, with all their blood, before it was discovered, because the navel-string was not well tied, therefore great care must be taken that no blood squeeze through; for if there do, a new knot must be made with the rest of the string. You need not fear to bind the navel-string very hard because it is void of sense, and that part which you leave, falls off in a very few days, sometimes in six or seven, or sooner, but never tarries longer than eight or nine.

When you have thus cut the navel-string, then take care the piece that falls off touch not the ground, for the reason I told you Mizaldus gave, which experience has justified.

(4) The last thing I mentioned, was the event or consequence, or what follows cutting the navel-string. As soon as it is cut, apply a little cotton or lint to the place to keep it warm, lest the cold enter into the body of the child, which it most certainly will do, if you have not bound it hard enough. If the lint or cotton you apply to it, be dipped in oil of roses, it will be the better, and then put another small rag three or four times double upon the belly; upon the top of all, put another small bolster, and then swathe it with a linen swathe, four fingers broad, to keep it steady, lest by moving too much, or from being continually stirred from side to side, it comes to fall off before the navel-string, which you left remaining, is fallen off.

It is the usual custom of midwives to put a piece of burnt rag to it, which we commonly call tinder; but I would rather advise them to put a little ammoniac to it, because of its drying qualities.

SECT. III.--_How to bring away the After-burden._

A woman cannot be said to be fairly delivered, though the child be born, till the after-burden be also taken from her; herein differing from most animals, who, when they have brought forth their young, cast forth nothing else but some water, and the membranes which contained them. But women have an after-labour, which sometimes proves more dangerous than the first; and how to bring it safely away without prejudice to her, shall be my business to show in this section.

As soon as the child is born, before the midwife either ties or cuts the navel-string, lest the womb should close, let her take the string and wind it once or twice about one or two fingers on her left hand joined together, the better to hold it, with which she may draw it moderately, and with the right hand, she may only take a single hold of it, above the left, near the privities, drawing likewise with that very gently, resting the while the forefinger of the same hand, extended and stretched forth along the string towards the entrance of the v.a.g.i.n.a, always observing, for the greater facility, to draw it from the side where the burden cleaves least; for in so doing, the rest will separate the better; and special care must be taken that it be not drawn forth with too much violence, lest by breaking the string near the burden, the midwife be obliged to put the whole hand into the womb to deliver the woman; and she need to be a very skilful person that undertakes it, lest the womb, to which the burden is sometimes very strongly fastened, be drawn away with it, as has sometimes happened. It is, therefore, best to use such remedies as may a.s.sist nature. And here take notice, that what brings away the birth, will also bring away the after-birth. And therefore, for effecting this work, I will lay down the following rules.

(1) Use the same means of bringing away the after-birth, that you made use of to bring away the birth; for the same care and circ.u.mspection are needful now that there were then.

(2) Considering that the labouring woman cannot but be much spent by what she has already undergone in bringing forth the infant, be therefore sure to give her something to comfort her. And in this case good jelly broths, also a little wine and toast in it, and other comforting things, will be necessary.

(3) A little h.e.l.lebore in powder, to make her sneeze, is in this case very proper.

(4) Tansey, and the stone aet.i.tes, applied as before directed, are also of good use in this case.

(5) If you take the herb vervain, and either boil it in wine, or a syrup with the juice of it, which you may do by adding to it double its weight of sugar (having clarified the juice before you boil it), a spoonful of that given to the woman is very efficacious to bring away the secundine; and feverfew and mugwort have the same operation taken as the former.

(6) Alexanders[10] boiled in wine, and the wine drank, also sweet servile, sweet cicily, angelica roots, and musterwort, are excellent remedies in this case.

(7) Or, if this fail, the smoke of marigolds, received up a woman's privities by a funnel, have been known to bring away the after-birth, even when the midwife let go her hold.

(8) Boil mugwort in water till it be very soft, then take it out, and apply it in the manner of a poultice to the navel of the labouring woman, and it instantly brings away the birth. But special care must be taken to remove it as soon as they come away, lest by its long tarrying it should draw away the womb also.

SECT. IV.--_Of Laborious and Difficult Labours and how the Midwife is to proceed therein._

There are three sorts of bad labours, all painful and difficult, but not all properly unnatural. It will be necessary, therefore, to distinguish these.

The _first_ of these labours is that when the mother and child suffer very much extreme pain and difficulty, even though the child come right; and this is distinguishably called the laborious labour.

The _second_ is that which is difficult and differs not much from the former, except that, besides those extraordinary pains, it is generally attended with some unhappy accident, which, by r.e.t.a.r.ding the birth, causes the difficulty; but these difficulties being removed, it accelerates the birth, and hastens the delivery.

Some have asked, what is the reason that women bring forth their children with so much pain? I answer, the sense of feeling is distributed to the whole body by the nerves, and the mouth of the womb being so narrow, that it must of necessity be dilated at the time of the woman's delivery, the dilating thereof stretches the nerves, and from thence comes the pain. And therefore the reason why some women have more pain in their labour than others, proceeds from their having the mouth of the matrix more full of nerves than others. The best way to remove those difficulties that occasion hard pains and labour, is to show first from whence they proceed. Now the difficulty of labour proceeds either from the mother, or child, or both.

From the mother, by reason of the indisposition of the body, or from some particular part only, and chiefly the womb, as when the woman is weak, and the mother is not active to expel the burden, or from weakness, or disease, or want of spirits; or it may be from strong pa.s.sion of the mind with which she was once possessed; she may also be too young, and so may have the pa.s.sage too narrow; or too old, and then, if it be her first child, because her pains are too dry and hard, and cannot be easily dilated, as happens also to them which are too lean; likewise those who are small, short or deformed, as crooked women who have not breath enough to help their pains, and to bear them down, persons that are crooked having sometimes the bones of the pa.s.sage not well shaped. The colic also hinders labour, by preventing the true pains; and all great and active pains, as when the woman is taken with a great and violent fever, a great flooding, frequent convulsions, b.l.o.o.d.y flux, or any other great distemper. Also, excrements retained cause great difficulty, and so does a stone in the bladder: or when the bladder is full of urine, without being able to void it, or when the woman is troubled with great and painful piles. It may also be from the pa.s.sages, when the membranes are thick, the orifice too narrow, and the neck of the womb not sufficiently open, the pa.s.sages strained and pressed by tumours in the adjacent parts, or when the bones are too firm, and will not open, which very much endangers the mother and the child; or when the pa.s.sages are not slippery, by reason of the waters having broken too soon, or membranes being too thin. The womb may also be out of order with regard to its bad situation or conformation, having its neck too narrow, hard and callous, which may easily be so naturally, or may come by accident, being many times caused by a tumour, an imposthume, ulcer or superfluous flesh.

As to hard labour occasioned by the child, it is when the child happens to stick to a mole, or when it is so weak it cannot break the membranes; or if it be too big all over, or in the head only; or if the natural vessels are twisted about its neck; when the belly is hydropsical; or when it is monstrous, having two heads, or joined to another child, also, when the child is dead or so weak that it can contribute nothing to its birth; likewise when it comes wrong, or there are two or more.

And to all these various difficulties there is oftentimes one more, and that is, the ignorance of the midwife, who for want of understanding in her business, hinders nature in her work instead of helping her.