Observations in midwifery : as also The country midwifes opusculum or vade mecum / by Percival Willughby (1596-1685); edited from the original MS. by Henry Blenkinsop, 1863.
- Percivall Willughby
- Date:
- 1863
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Observations in midwifery : as also The country midwifes opusculum or vade mecum / by Percival Willughby (1596-1685); edited from the original MS. by Henry Blenkinsop, 1863. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![before the womb hath beene opened, or any waters have gathered, with their liinder parts naked, and starved with cold, and, by their halings, upon every sleight pain stretcliing those tender places, have made their women sore, and sweFd wliich ignorant usage of theirs hath done much hurt, not onely by hmdering the birth, but also endangering the life of the mother and child. And in severall places, unto which I have beene sent for, I have found the mother undelivered, and shee and the child dead before I could come unto them, through the ignorance of such midwives. A. I travailed all night to Chesterfield, and was greatly pelted (after some tliree houres riding) with Hashes of fire, di-eadful thunderclaps, and stormes of rain. I came to the place about foure in the morning, and there I found both mother, and child dead, and shee not delivered. Tliis woraau might have been easily helped, had I been there in con- venient time Anno 1031 by drawing. t]ig child with the crochet, if that she could not otherwayes have been relieved. 1 was sent for from Staiford, to come to a lady beyond Congerton. Her midwife had kept her severall dayes in laboui-. I took ray daughter with uiee. Wee travailed all night, and wee were wetted with much rain to our skins. Wee came, by break of day, to the place. But tliis Lady was dead, undelivered, before our coming. I much desired to see her corps, but the midwife would not permit it. I knew this midwife not to bee very judicious in her profession, and I beleeve. That shee was ashamed that her work should be seen Anno 1655. Tins midwife was gentile in habit of cloths, but ignorant in the wayes of practice of midwifery. I was brought to Cossall, in Nottmghamshire, to a woman, whose mother was a midwife, and in the house witli her. So soone as paines](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24751212_0180.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
