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
Catalogue details

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.

    61/372 (page 39)
    That nightj about nine of the clock, some women came to me, desiring my counsel! for her delivery. I appointed an ordinary clyster and willed. That shee should have, after that it came from her, two ounces of oile of sweet almonds, mixed with posset diink, given her to diink; yet, for all this, the extremities, yni\\ tortures in her back, contiaued, and no labour followed. Her midwife was crosse-gained, and sufficiently ignorant, and a great tugger of womens bodies. In lier sufferings, about half an houre past twelve in the night, shee called all the women hard hearted Jewes, for that they did not send for mee. I came to lier about one of the clock in that night, shee had great tortures in her back, the which I caused to be anointed with ode of charity, and, afterward, to her back I laid the emplaster de smegmate, spread on leather. So the bitter paijies were somewhat mitigated. I gave her the quantity of a great nutmeg of LucateUa's Balsam, wrapped in a wafer, nevertheless her paines continued very sharp. I anointed the os pubis and os coccygis and the birth-part with Balsamum hystericmn, and conveyed a spoonfull of it to os matricis, then presently the pain removed from the back, the womb opened, and the waters gathered and soon flowed, and shee was, in a small space, quickly dehvered of a lusty hving daughter. Wlien the after-burden was fetched I gave her a spoonfull of ode of charity, it freed ]ier from aU after troubles, whicli formerly were grievous unto her, and shee was dehvered that night afore two of the clock, June the 20, 1661.