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. I. Of the signs of Conception.

HAving thus shewed you the Anatomy and Use of the parts,* 1.1 it will be requisite to discourse of the Conception it self, which is the main and chief end of these Vessels: And first of the signs of Conception.

The signs of Conception on the Mothers side, are certain and apparent; first, if after she hath had the company of her Husband, she hath received more con∣tent than ordinary.

Pains in the head, giddiness, dimness of the eyes; all these concurring together, portend conception; the apples of the eyes decrease, the eyes themselves swell, and become of a dark colour, the veins of the eyes

wax red, and swell with blood, the eyes sink, the eye∣brows grow loose, various colours appear in the eyes, little red pimples rise in the face, the veins between the Nose and the Eyes swell with blood, and are seen more plain; the vein under the tongue looks greenish, the neck is hot, the back bone cold, the veins and ar∣teries swell, and the pulses are observed more easily; the veins in the breast first look of a black colour, but afterward turn yellowish, the Teats look red; if she drink cold drink, she feels the cold in her breast, she loaths her meat and drink, she hath divers longings, but her natural appetite is destroyed: Continual vo∣mitings follow, and weakness of the stomach, sour belches worms about her Navel, faintness of the loyns, the lower part of her belly swelling, inward griping of the body, the retention of the Seed 7 days after the act of copulation: After which act there is a cold and trembling which seizes the external members; the attractive force of the womb increases; the womb dries up. It is also a certain sign of conception, if the Midwife touching with her finger the interiour neck of the womb, shall find it exactly closed, so that the point of a needle will not go between: The womb waxeth round and swells, the flowers cease to flow (for the Veins through which they come down, carry the blood to the nourishment of the birth;) the thighs swell with some pain, the whole body grows weak, and the face waxes pale; the Excrements proceed slower out of the body: The Urine is white, a little cloud swimming at the top, and many atoms appear in the Urine. Take the Urine of a Woman, and shut it up three days in a glass, if she have conceived, at the end of three days there will appear in the Urine certain live things, to creep up and down. Take also the Urine of a Woman, and put it in a bason a whole

night together, with a clean and bright needle in it, if the woman have conceived, the needle will be scattered full of red speckles, but if not, it will be black and rusty.

Conception is an action of the Womb, whereby the fruitful Seed of the Man and Woman are received and kept, that a Child may be formed. There are two kinds of Conception, one true, to which succeeds the generation of an Infant; the other spurious, and contrary to Nature, in this case the Seed changes into water, false Conceptions, Moles, or any other strange matter.

It is to be noted, that there is no absolute necessi∣ty, that all the Seed should be received, and retained entire, nor must we imagine that tho' all of it be not received into the Womb, the Child formed out of it will want some Limb, as an Arm, or Leg, or other member, for want of sufficient matter; for the least drop of Seed, nay only a fume of it is sufficient to impregnate, and form a Child: But when the quan∣tity of the Seed is small, the Child may be the less and weaker for it, or if the Man, or the Woman be dis∣••ased, or the Womb stuft with ill humours, the Child will be sickly, or Moles, or false Births, or Dropsies of the Womb will be occasioned.

Tho' a Midwife may guess that a Woman has con∣ceived, when all the signs concur, or most part of them together, and successively according to their seasons, yet many of these signs happen upon suppression of the courses, and none of them are so very certain, as not sometimes to fail us; wherefore in trials of Wo∣men, and upon giving physick to them, great cauti∣on must be used; for after the Execution of some Women, they have been found with Child contrary to the judgment of the Midwifes, and others after a

long course of Physick to open obstructions, and to cure a Dropsie, have been delivered of Children.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Signs of Con∣ception.