The compleat midwife's practice enlarged in the most weighty and high concernments of the birth of man containing a perfect directory or rules for midwives and nurses : as also a guide for women in their conception, bearing and nursing of children from the experience of our English authors, viz., Sir Theodore Mayern, Dr. Chamberlain, Mr. Nich. Culpeper ... : with instructions of the Queen of France's midwife to her daughter ... / by John Pechey ... ; the whole illustrated with copper plates.

A second Observation of a Woman that had been in Travail nine days.

BEing called to the Labour of a Woman that had been in Travail nine or ten days, of whom there was little hope; I went, and there found the Woman almost dead, her eyes open and fixed, her nose shrunk in, her breath smelling like a Charnel-house; and she took nothing down into her stomach, that she did not instantly vomit up again; she had drunk up above two pints of water in an hour, and by her bed, there was a whole sea of those things that she had vomited up. They gave her cold water, and the yolk of an Egg sometimes, though it came up again at the same in∣stant. She felt no pain of the Infant, but finding her Womb was open and her waters beginning to come down: I found that she had been in Travail; only Nature was oppressed, and had not had any good as∣sistance,

so that the Infant was retired back again, which stifled the Mother, and provoked her vomiting. Upon which, I gave my advice, and though I thought my self come a little too late, yet I resolved to do what lay in the power of my Art; and therefore I re∣solved to give her a good strong Clyster to awaken Nature, and to bring the Infant lower, which did ac∣cording to our hopes; afterwards to drink a small quan∣tity of Rhubarb-water which stayed with her; a little after, I gave her the Yolk of an Egg, which stayed with her also, causing her to drink nothing but Rhu∣barb-water; and at every hour's end, I gave her the Yolk of an Egg, which did also stay with her; by this time, Nature began to strengthen it self, and the pains of the Infant came again; and in less than two hours, after the Clyster and other nourishment given, when I saw her pretty well, and that Nature strove to expel the Infant, I gave her half a dram of Confection of Alkermes in a little Wine; and a little while after I caused her to take another Clyster, into which I put a little Hiera, and a little Benedictum, which finished the work; for she was then delivered of a very lusty Child, which lived about two days: I came thither a∣bout noon, and she was brought to bed before nine at night. I wrote this thus particularly, to let you know that oft-times for want of knowing where the mischief lies, the Remedies are misapplied; and indeed a Wo∣man Travailling in the ninth Month, ought chiefly to be succoured with Clysters.