CHAP. XL. Of the falling down, or perversion, or turning of the womb.
THe womb is said to fall down and be perverted, when it is moved out of its proper and natural place; as when the bands and ligatures thereof being loosed and relaxed, it fall∣eth down unto one side or other, or into its own neck, or else passeth further, so that it comes out at the neck, and a great portion thereof appears without the privie parts. Therefore what things soever resolve, relax, or burst the ligaments or bands whereby the womb is tied, are supposed to be the causes of this accident. It sometimes happens by vehement labor or travail in childe-birth, when the womb with violence excluding the issue and the secundines, also follows and falls down, turning the inner side thereof outward. And sometimes the foolish rashness of the Midwife, when she draweth away the womb with the infant, or with the secundine cleaving fast thereunto, and so drawing it down and turning the inner side outward. Furthermore, a heavie bear∣ing of the womb, the bearing of the carriage of a great burthen, holding or stretching of the hands or body upwards in the time of greatness with childe, a fall, contusion, shaking, or jogging by riding, either in a Waggon or Coach, or on horse back, or leaping or dancing, the falling down of a more large and abundant humor, great griping, a strong and continual cough, a Tenesmus, or often desire to go to stool, yet not voiding any thing, neesing, a manifold and great birth, difficult bearing of the womb, an astmatical and orthopnoical-difficulty of breathing, whatsoever doth weightily press down the Diaphragma or Midriff, or the muscles of the Epigastrium, the taking of cold air in the time of travail with childe, o•• in the flowing of the menstrual flux, sitting on a cold marble-stone, or any other such like cold things are thought oftentimes to be the occasion of these accidents, because they may bring the womb out of its place.
It falls down in many (saith Aristotle) by reason of the desire of copulation that they have, either by reason of the lustiness of their youth, or else because they have abstained a long time from it.
You may know that the womb is fallen down by the pain of those parts where hence it is fallen, that is to say by the entrails, loines, os sacrum, and by a tractable tumor at the neck of the womb, and often with a visible hanging out, of diverse greatness, according to the quantity that is fallen down. It is seen sometimes like unto a piece of red flesh, hanging out at the neck of the womb, of the bigness and form of a Goose-egg; if the woman stand upright, she feeleth the weight to lie on her privie parts; but if she sit or lie, then she perceiveth it on her back, or go to the stool, the strait gut called intestinum rectum will be pressed or loaden as if it were with a burthen; if she lie on her belly, then her urine will be stopped, so that she shall fear to use copulation with a man.
When the womb is newly relaxed in a young woman, it may be soon cured, but if it hath been long down in an old woman, it is not to be helped. If the palsie of the ligaments thereof have occasioned the falling, it scarce admits of cure; bur if it falls down by means of putrefaction, it cannot possibly be cured. If a great quantity thereof hang out between the thighs, it can hard∣ly be cured; but it is corrupted by taking the air, and by the falling down of the urine, and filth, and by the motions of the thighs in going it is ulcerated, and so putrifies.
I remember that once I cured a young woman who had her womb hanging out at her privie parts as big as an egg, and I did so well performe and perfect the cure thereof, that afterwards she conceived, and bare children many times, and her womb never fell down.