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.

CHAP. IX. Concerning the Utility of the Testicles and their parts.

THE structure of the Testicles being thus known; it remains that we shew you their use. This is first discovered from their situation. For of those Creatures that have Stones, some have them in their bodies, as all Fowl; others have them without, though not pendent; others have them hanging downward, as men. Men therefore have their Testicles without their bodies for two causes; first, because it is requi∣red that the Testicles of the Male should be bigger and hotter than those of the Female; so that it were impossible for them to be contained within the body, because of their quantity. Besides, the Seed of the

Male being the effective original of the Creature, and therefore hottest; it is also required that the Seed should be more abundant than could be contained in the Testicles, were they placed within the body: for the seminary passages must have been less, and the veins themselves would not have afforded such plenty of matter as now they do.

The motion of the Testicles is also to be consider∣ed; by which they move sometimes upward and sometimes downward. The one of these motions which is made upward is voluntary, as being made by the Muscles; but the motion downward is a forced motion, not hapning without the laxity of the Mus∣cles; the Testicles, through their own weight, falling downwards. These Muscles are called Cremasters, their use being to draw up the Testicles to shorten the way of the Ejaculation of the Seed; as also to keep the vessels from being distended too far by the weight of the Testicles.

The use of the Tunicles is now to be spoken of; and first, of that which is outermost, and is called by the Latins Scrotum, being the purse wherein the Testicles are contained. It is made to wrinkle it self up, and to let it self loose, that it may be large enough for the Testicles when they swell with plenty of Seed, and to wrinkle up again, when the Testicles being emptied, and so becoming less, are drawn upward. The other Coats, or Tunicles, are also made for the defence of the Stones, but so thin and light that they should not oppress the Stones with their weight; that which is called Erythroides hath many veins for the nourishment of the adjacent parts. The Epididymis was made to wrap the Testicle round about, lest the Humid matter of the Testicle should flow about, and consequently be wasted.