A letter to William Smellie, M.D., containing critical and practical remarks upon his Treatise on the theory and practice of midwifery / By John Burton, M.D. Wherein the various gross mistakes and dangerous methods of practice mentioned and recommended by that writer, are fully demonstrated. And generally corrected.

  • Burton, John, 1710-1771.
Date:
MDCCLIII. [1753]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to William Smellie, M.D., containing critical and practical remarks upon his Treatise on the theory and practice of midwifery / By John Burton, M.D. Wherein the various gross mistakes and dangerous methods of practice mentioned and recommended by that writer, are fully demonstrated. And generally corrected. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [24^] pofitor, by omitting a Tingle Letter, has divided the Word infufa into in ufa^ Kirkpatric then fays, ^ This efcapes with a worfc ‘ Grace from a Gentleman, who has often hinted their ‘ want of Education to his Brethren ; in our Notion * of which, we generally include fome fcholaftic or ‘ clafTical Literature.’ Here again this Writer, to obtain his End^ has evi¬ dently mifapplied the Senfe or Meaning of my Words-, for 1 don’t in any one Part of my Book, or in the Pre¬ face, give the lead: Hint or find Fault with thofe, he calls my Brethren, for want of fcholaftic or claflical Learning •, but regret that People (») ‘ without any ‘ other Education and Capacity, imagine nothing more ‘ is required but to hear a few Ledures, and to know * the Ufe (or perhaps Abiife) of a few inftruments, ‘ with a Copy of Old-wives Receipts, with which ‘ they think themfelves qualified to pradife as well as ‘ others of the Profeffion.-Thefe fort of Men con- ‘ fiber Midwifery rather as an Art only than a Science j ‘ whereas it may properly be faid to be compofed of ‘ both: Of the firft, as to the Manner of Operation ; ‘ of the laft, as the Mothers are fubjed to fo many ‘ Diforders and Complaints, that frequently attend ‘ their Pregnancy and Lying-in, which call out for ‘ medical Skill rather than manual Operation.’ Hence I chink the candid Reader will foon perceive, that it is their want of Education (in thofe whom the Rcmarker calls my Brethren) as to medical Skill that I regret, becaiife they attempt to pradice without any other Foundation than having heard a few LeHures and having a few old-wives Receipts in their Poffeffion. And it is very evident, that this medical Skill will never be obtained if they were to read the Claflics all their Lives i and therefore it cannot be that Branch which I could mean to find fault with their want of. [n) Pref, p. lo. This