The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher

t is and what the Midwife

What Natura

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 ac

he fourth is, that the child come right, for if the position of the child in the womb be contrary to that which is natur

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 buttocks, 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 assist 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 go

ll 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 consequ

at 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 passage, 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,

Cutting of the Ch

shows none of the least art and skill of a midwife to do it as it should be; and that it may be

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 c

art 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 shor

en 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, b

inly 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

it, which we commonly call tinder; but I would rather advise the

to bring away t

o, 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,

e forefinger of the same hand, extended and stretched forth along the string towards the entrance of the vagina, 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

at you made use of to bring away the birth; for the same ca

n bringing forth the infant, be therefore sure to give her something to comfort her. And in this case

owder, to make her sneeze,

s, applied as before directed, a

g to it double its weight of sugar (having clarified the juice before you boil it), a spoonful of that given to the woma

nk, also sweet servile, sweet cicily, angelica roots

a woman's privities by a funnel, have been known to bring

e to the navel of the labouring woman, and it instantly brings away the birth. But special care must be t

fficult Labours and how the M

and difficult, but not all properly unnatural. It

er very much extreme pain and difficulty, even though the child c

raordinary pains, it is generally attended with some unhappy accident, which, by retarding the birth, caus

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

h enough to help their pains, and to bear them down, persons that are crooked having sometimes the bones of the passage 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, bloody 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 passages, when the membrane

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,

she finds a woman in difficult labour, to know the particular obstruction, or cause thereof, that so a suitable remedy may be applied; as for instance, when it happens by the mother's being too young and too narrow, she must be gently treated, and the

and callous, does not easily yield to the distention of labour, which is the true cause why such women are longer in labour, and also why their childre

atural labours. If she be costive, let her use clysters, which may also help to dispel colic, at those times very injurious because attended with useless pains, and because such bear not downward, and so help not to forward the birth. If she find an obstruction or stoppage of the urine, by reason of the womb's bearing too much on the bladder, let her lift up her belly a little with her hands, and try if by that she receives any benefit; if she finds she does not, it will be necessary to introduce a catheter into her bladder, and thereby draw forth her urine. If the difficulty be from the ill posture of the woman, let her be placed otherwise, in a posture more suitable and convenient for her; also if it proceeds from indispositions of the womb, as from its oblique situation, etc., it must be remedied, as well as it can be, by the placing her body accordingly; or, if it be a vicious conformation, having the neck too hard, too callous, too straight, it must be anointed with oil and ointments, as before directed. If the membranes be so strong that the waters do not break in due time, they may be broken with the fingers, if the midwife be first well assured that the child is come forward into the passage, and ready to follow presently after; or else, by the bre

men labouring

r and great care ought to be taken therein; but before anything be done, the midwife ou

of the child can be perceived; for the trial whereof, let the midwife put her hand into warm water, and lay it upon the belly, for that, if it is alive, will make it stir. (5) She is very subject to dreams of dead men, and affri

it, and add thereto half an ounce of cinnamon, but no other spices whatever, and when she has drunk it, if her travailing pains come upon her, the child is certainly dead; but if not, the child may possi

pennyroyal, sage, feverfew, centaury, ivy leaves and berries. Let her also take sweet basil in powder, and half a drachm at a time in white wine; let her privities also be anointed with the juice of the garden tansey. Or take the tansey in the summer when it can most plentifully be had, and before it runs up to flower, and having bruised it well, boil it in oil until the juice of it be consumed. If you set it in the sun, after you have mixed it with oil, it will be

p with water, and let the woman drink it very hot, an

birth is left behind in the body (for in such cases as these many times it rots, and comes

ct. Let the midwife also take the roots of pollodum and stamp them well; warm them a little and

he expulsive faculty, but in this case they must b

myrrh, castor, cinnamon and saffron, each h

h a decoction of mercury, orris, wild cucumbers, saecus, broom flowers. Then anoint the privities and loins with ointment of sow-bread. Or, take coloquintida, agaric, birthwort, of each a

myrtle, St. John's wort, each half an ounce, spermaceti two drachms, deer's suet, an ounce; with wax make an o

idwife ought without delay to send for an expert and able man-midwife, to deliver

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