The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latine and compared with the French. by Th: Johnson

CHAP. XXV. By what signes it may bee knowne whether the childe in the wombe bee dead or alive.

IF neither the Chirurgians hand, nor the mother can perceive the * 1.1 infant to move, if the waters bee flowed out, and secundine come forth, you may certainely affirme that the infant is dead in the wombe, for this is the most infallible signe of all others: for be∣cause the child in the wombe doth breathe but by the artery of the navell, and the breath is received by the Cotyledon of the arteries of the wombe, it must of necessity come to passe that when the secundine is separated from the infant, no aire or breath can come unto it. Wherefore so often as the se∣cundine is excluded before the childe, you may take it for a certaine token of the death thereof: when the childe is dead, it will be more heavie to the mother than it was before when it was alive, because it is now no more sustained by the spirits and * 1.2 faculties wherewith before it was governed and ruled, for so we see dead men to be heavier than those that are alive, & men that are weak through hunger and famine to be heavier than when they are well refreshed, and also when the mother enclines her body any way, the infant falleth that way also even as it were a stone. The mother is also vexed with sharpe paine from the privities even to the navell, with a perpetuall desire of making water, and going to stoole, because that nature is wholly busied in

the expolsion or avoidance of that which is dead: for that which is alive will expell * 1.3 the dead so farre as it can from it selfe, because the one is altogether different from the other; but likenesse, if any thing, conjoynes and unites things together: the ge∣nitalls are cold in touching, and the mother complaineth that she feeleth a coldnesse in her womb, by reason that the heat of the infant is extinguished, wherewith before her heate was doubled: many filthy excrements come from her, and also the mo∣thers breath stinketh, she swouneth often, all which for the most part happen within three daies after the death of the childe: for the infants body will sooner corrupt in the mothers wombe than it would in the open aire, because that, according to the judgement of Galen, all hot and moist things, being in like manner enclosed in a hot * 1.4 and moist place, especially if by reason of the thickenesse or straitenesse of the place they cannot receive the aire, will speedily corrupt. Now by the rising up of such vapours from the dead unto the braine and heart, such accidents may soone follow, her face will be clean altered, seeming livid and ghastly, her dugs fall and hang loose and lanke, and her belly will be more hard and swollen than it was before. In all bo∣lies so putrefying, the naturall heat vanisheth away, and in place thereof succeedeth * 1.5 a preternaturall, by the working whereof the putrefyed and dissolved humours are stirred up into vapours, and converted into winde, and those vapours, because they possesse and fill more space and roome (for naturalists say that of one part of water ten parts of aire are made) doe so puffe up the putrefyed body into a greater bignesse. You may note the same thing in bodies that are gangrenate, for they cast forth many sharpe vapours, yet neverthelesse they are swollen and pufted up.

Now so soone as the Chirurgian shall know that the childe is dead by all these forenamed signes, he shall with all diligence endeavour to save the mother so spee∣dily as hee can, and if the Physitians cannot prevaile with potions, bathes, fumiga∣tions, sternutatories, vomits, and liniments appointed to expell the infant, let him prepare himselfe to the worke following; but first let him consider the strength of the woman, for if he perceive that shee bee weake and feeble by the smalnesse of her * 1.6 pulse, by her small, seldome and cold breathing, and by the altered and death-like colour in her face, by her cold sweats, and by the coldnesse of the extreme parts, let him abstaine from the worke, and onely affirme that shee will dye shortly; contrari∣wise, if her strength be yet good, let him with all confidence and industry deliver her on this wise from the danger of death.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A most certaine sign of the child dead in the wombe.
• * 1.2

  When the child is dead in the wombe hee is more heavie than he was be∣fore being alive.
• * 1.3

  That which is alive will not suffer that which is dead.
• * 1.4

  Lib. de tumorib.
• * 1.5

  Why the belly of a woman will be more bigge when the child is dead within her, than it was before, when it was alive.
• * 1.6

  The signes of a woman that is weake.