The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher

ild-bearing Women

man newly Delivered

great fatigue she underwent during her travail, and that she may lie the more easily let her hands and body be a little raised, that she may breathe

more than what she stands in need of; for her lower parts being greatly distended until the birth of the infant, it is good to endeavour the prevention of an inflammation there. Let there also be outwardly applied, all over the bottom of her belly and privities, the following anodyne and cataplasm:-Take two ounces of oil of sweet almonds, and two or three new laid eggs, yolks and whites, stirring the

ar her at first; for cold is an enemy to the spermatic parts; if it get into the womb it increases the after pains, causes swelling in the womb and hurts the nerves. As to her diet, let it be hot, and let her eat but little at a

in clots or stinking, or if you suspect any of the after-burden to be left behind, which may sometimes happen),

he may eat often, but not too much at a time. And let her nurse use cin

, or seventh day after her delivery, if she be weak; and let

a clyster made only of the decoction

mb, of which knot-grass and comfrey are very good, and to them you may add a

hose Accidents which a Ly

ssed; and also, because nourishment and matter, contained as well in them as in the stomach, have been so confusedly agitated from side to side during the pains of labour, by the throes which always must compress the belly, that they could not be well digested, whence the wind is afterwards generated a

water, and let her drink it; and if you mix in it two grains of ambergris, it will be

er oil of walnuts, provided it be made of nuts that are very good; but it tastes worse than the other at best. This will leni

mp them with oil of cinnamon, spread them on a

to time must be laid on her belly, or a pancake fried in walnut oil may be applied to it, without swathing her belly too strait. An

the powder upon a chafing-dish of coals, and let

oiling, add a little pigeon's dung to it. Spread some of this upon a linen cloth, and apply it t

of bay-berries beaten into a powd

t is haemorrhoids or piles, occasioned through the great st

et blood in the

um in her meat, and dri

dle, of it, fill it full of oil, roast it and havin

m, or else so many shell snails, and pull them out, and havi

an ounce of cassia fistula drawn at night, go

men in child-bed, and which is of so dangerous a consequence, th

ovoke the terms, such as dittany, betony, pennyroya

three spoonfuls of br

and a drachm of it taken every mornin

r long or round, so used and tak

aught of hot cardus posset, and let her sweat after. And if the last medicine do not bring them d

is another accident incidental

r dried and beaten into a powder, and it will be an admirable remed

achm of them taken every morning in a spoonful of red wine, or in a decoction of leaves of the same (w

mb are often occasioned by the violent distention and separatio

a little over warm embers, continually stirring it until it be mixed, and then spread on a fine cloth; it must be applied very warm to the bearing place for five or six hours, and when it is taken away, lay some fine rags, dipped in oil of St. John's wor

k does, for the most part, proceed from the breasts not being fully drawn, and that, either because she has too much milk, and that the infant is too small and weak to suck it all, or because she doth not desire to be a nurse, for the milk in those cases remaining in the breasts after concoction, without being drawn, loses its sweetn

weakness, cannot draw strength enough, the woman being hard marked when her milk is curded, it will be most proper to get another woman to draw her breasts until the milk comes freely

them. For which purpose it will be necessary to empty the body by bleeding the arms, besides which, let the humours be drawn down by strong clysters and bleeding at the foot; nor will it be amiss to purge gently, and to digest, dissolve and diss

catter and Diss

a pound; when the wax is melted, let the liniment be made, wherein linen cloths must be clipped, and, according to their largeness, be laid upon t

r own children; but if a swelling in the breast of her who gives such do arise, from abundance of milk, thre