The expert midwife, or An excellent and most necessary treatise of the generation and birth of man. Wherein is contained many very notable and necessary particulars requisite to be knovvne and practised: with diuers apt and usefull figures appropriated to this worke. Also the causes, signes, and various cures, of the most principall maladies and infirmities incident to women. Six bookes compiled in Latine by the industry of Iames Rueff, a learned and expert chirurgion: and now translated into English for the generall good and benefit of this nation.

CHAP. V. Of the signes of Conception.

ALthough it be a hard thing to know the true conception of women, yet we may give a coniecture by many signes, and attaine unto it by some arguments confir∣med and ratified by experience. It is credited for certaine signe of conception, if the woman, the tenth day or some day sooner, after shee had company carnally with man, shall perceive the Termes to bee white or red by reason of humours, also the stopping and retention of the Termes is accompted for a signe, yet it deceiveth, because it happeneth also often times without conception. Therefore this being o∣mitted, wee will prosecute other notes and signes taken from the body of the woman her∣selfe concerning true conception, every mem∣ber and part examined, and first the beginning shall proceed from the head.

The paines of the head, swimming of the brain,

and dymnesse of the eyes, if they concurre and chance together, doe signifie conception.

The apples of the eyes are lessened.

The eyes swell and are changed into a swar∣tish colour.

The little veines doe waxe red, and begin to swell with bloud.

The eyes sinke downe into the head.

The eye-lids become feeble.

Divers colours are seene in the eyes, and per∣ceived in a looking-glasse.

Red pimples doe arise in the face.

The little veines placed betwixt the nose and eyes, are swolne with bloud, and are seene more clearely and plainely than they were wont.

The veine under the tongue waxeth gree∣nish.

The necke is hot, the backe-bone cold.

The veines and arteries are full, the pulses are easily perceived.

The veines situated in the breast, at first wax blacke, afterward begin to be yellow, or to be of a blewish-colour.

The dugs begin to swell and wax hard with paines.

The nipples beginne to be reddish.

If cold water be drunke, a coldnesse is felt in the breasts,

A loathing and refusing of meat and drinke creepeth upon the woman.

Divers appetites & longings are ingendred.

A destruction and decay of Naturall appe∣tite and desire is caused and procured.

A continuall casting and parbreaking and weakenesse of the stomach.

Sower and slow belchings.

A loathing of wine.

A disordered and intemperate beating of the heart.

Sudden ioyes, & after these sudden sorrowes

Wringings and gripings about the Navell.

Paine of the loynes.

The lower part of the belly is affected with swellings.

There are inward compunctions and prick∣ings in the body.

The seed is reteyned seaven daies after car∣nal company.

A coldnesse and chilnesse of the outward members, after the act of Generation.

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

The attractive faculty and vertue of the Ma∣trix is increased.

The Matrix is dryed by and by.

A great delight and pleasure in the Venerious act, but after conception a disdayning of Venus.

The Matrix is restreyned and closed.

But because this thing is procured by other causes also, it may bee observed and noted by an infallible and certaine difference, when it foresheweth conception. For then it is slender and soft: but if it be restreyned and closed for a∣ny other cause, as by too much heate, or swel∣ling, then it remayneth harder.

The secret parts of the woman are wrinkled even unto the seaventh moneth. The wombe waxeth round, and swelleth. About the begin∣ning of Conception, paines of the belly and backe 〈◊〉〈◊〉 felt, as it were beating.

The Termes or Flowres are stopped. For the veines, from whence they doe flow, carrie and conveigh by the mouthes and speckes named Acetabula, bloud to nourish the Feature through the Navel, and some of that matter is drawne upward to the breasts, where it is transmitted, and changed into milke. For

so also Hippocrates admonisheth us, saying; When the Termes are retained and stayed; and neither Fevers, nor fit of Agues doe follow, and also an abhorring and refusall of meat happe∣neth to the woman; we must understand with∣out doubt, that the woman is conceived with childe.

The legs begin to swell with paines & aches.

The body is feeblished, and the face waxeth pale.

The Pulse at first beateth swiftly, by and by slowly.

The excrements of the belly are voided more hardly and painfully, because the guts are pres∣sed and thrust together.

The urine or water, is white, a little cloud flo∣ting or swimming aloft, and many motes are seene in it, as in the beames of the Sun: but first of all, in the first moneth, when many such like things do sinck down to the bottome, they are drawn out in length like unto wooll, the Vrinall being moved in which they are in.

In the later moneths the urine is red or yellow, but at length it becommeth blacke, a little red cloud swimming above.

Hippocrates teacheth us to make triall of con∣ception with water mingled with Hony, that if the women having taken this, lying downe in her bed shall feele gripings or wringings of the belly, then it is a signe she hath conceived, if she doe not, she hath not yet conceived with child.

Whereas some would have this experiment to be practised by a suffumigation received un∣derneath, that maketh little or nothing to the matter. For Hippocrates teacheth, that so the signes and tokens of barrennesse and fruitful∣nesse are to be observed, and not of conception; but they which attribute to fumes made under¦neath any thing for the searching out of con∣ception, do say, that the fume made of the thing put underneath must be restrained & kept that it ascend not up to the nostrills, they would have such conjecture to be taken of Garlicke put underneath, and Aristolochia used with it. But by what probable reason, they themselves know best.

It shall be a more certaine experiment, to stop close the Vrine of the woman put into a glasse for three daies, which time being ended, let it be strained thorow a cleane fine linnen-cloth, and

if she have conceived, there will appeare little li∣ving creatures, like unto Lice, if they be red, they say, they do portend and signifie a man childe, if they be white, they say a maiden-childe is conceived.

And some doe affirme this thing for a certain∣ty: If a smooth and bright needle be put into the Vrine of a woman, in a brazen Bason, cove∣red close a night, on the morrow, if the woman have conceved, that needle will be speckled with red spots, if she have not, it will be blacke and rusty.

If a woman take the juyce of Carduus, and shall cast it up againe being taken, it is sup∣posed to be a certain, signe of conception. And so much concerning confused signes of conceptions (that is to say, such as concerne Male and Female both alike.)

But whether a man-child or woman-child be conceived, it is delivered and set downe to be marked & observed by these signes following.

If it be a man-child,* 1.1 the right-eye is moved more often, and is better affected with his na∣turall colour than the left.

The right brest is more plump and harder

than the left, the colour of the nipples is chan∣ged sooner.

Milk breedeth sooner, and if it be drawne out and opposed, and set against the beames of the Sun in a glasse, it cleaveth together into a little cleare lump, not unlike unto a cleare Pearle.

If the milke of the woman conceived with child be sprinkled into her urine, it sinketh by and by to the bottome, if Salt be put to it, it doth not melt.

The lid of the right eye is redder, and all the colour of the face is better than it was wont, as Hippocrates telleth us. Lesse heavinesse is felt.

The first moving, for the most part the for∣tieth day, is felt more quicker in the right side. For Hippocrates instructing concerning the ly∣ing of children in the womb, doth advertise us that male-children lie on the right side, and fe∣male-children on the left; because men-chil∣dren have need of more heat, which they attract and draw unto them from the Liver, scituated and seated in the same side.

If the Flowers issue forth the fortieth day af∣ter conception

The belly is more sharpe about the Navell.

The woman when she goeth a journy, putteth forth her right foot first, and in rising up from her seat, she doth sooner stay her self, and lift her self up upon her right hand, than upon her left.

The pulse is more swift in the right hand, than in the left.

But if they shall conceive maiden-children,* 1.2 all things happen otherwise, and these signes, for the most part, are observed.

The first moving, for the most part, is made the nintieth day after conception.

The moving is made on the left side.

Women-children are carried in the wombe with great paines.

The legs doe swell, and also the privie parts.

The colour is more pale.

The appetite is more vehement.

On the contrary, a loathing and abhorring of meat more soone and speedy.

The Termes doe issue forth about the thir∣tieth day after conception.

If the powder of Aristolochia be tempered with Hony, and the loynes and the secrets be annointed with it, it is thought to be an easie thing to discerne the sex: that if the spittle of the child-bearing-woman shall be sweete, shee

beareth a man childe, if it shall be bitter, shee beareth a woman-childe.

The age also of women availeth not a little. For women which are young, doe sooner con∣ceive boyes, but such as are somewhat aged, doe sooner conceive girles, by reason of the defect of heat in the Matrix caused by old age.

Likewise maiden-children are ingendred by parents moist and cold by nature, of seed more moist, cold, and liquid than sufficeth.

And it may also be observed by certaine signes, whether the child be in good state in the wombe or no. If the Babe be well, the Paps, as Hippocrates testifieth, are hard. If it be not in health, watrish milke doth flow forth from the dugs voluntarily.

Againe, if their Termes doe issue forth often-times which are conceived with child, as Pliny averreth, they signifie that the childe is not in health and lively, but weake and feeble.

Further, fat women commonly doe beare feeble children.

If the Hydropsie suddenly invade and take a woman with childe, and her nostrills, eares, and

lips begin to be red, they portend and shew that the fruit in the wombe is dead.

If a woman beare Twins, of which one is a man-child, the maiden-childe is in great danger, because they are nourished and prosper in the wombe with a diverse kind of nourishment, as Aristotle witnesseth. There is lesse danger if they be maiden-children: For under Maximilian the Emperour, a certaine woman brought forth three maiden-children at one birth, all which came unto a perfect age.

If a woman conceive before, or about the purging of her Flowers, infected and venomous humours will be mixed to the seed, of which, it is found most commonly, that Lepers are in∣gendred (otherwise the learned doe declare, that conception is not caused, but the Termes beginning or ceasing to flow.)

If a woman conceive once,* 1.3 and a little time after conceive againe, the last seede will hardly live in the wombe. For Aristotle declareth, that a woman brought forth two men-children at one birth alive, and that the fifth moneth after she brought forth another, but dead before in the wombe.

If the Infant doe proceed out of the wombe after the ninth moneth, for the most part hee is weake and feeble.

If a young maiden conceive before her first Flowers, she ingendreth an excellent and per∣fect Creature.

All these things being declared, this also is to be understood, which Midwives are wont to observe concerning the issue to come, I meane, whether the woman shall bring forth more children: For how many knots they shall per∣ceive to be in the Navell of the childe new∣ly borne, so many men-children shall after∣ward be ingendred, as they say. But let it suffice to have spoken these things, concerning the signes of conception, many other things being omitted, which are reported and deli∣vered.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The signes of a man-childe.
• * 1.2

  The signes of the concepti∣on of a mai∣den child.
• * 1.3

  A superfaetati∣on, or after-conception.