CHAP. I. Of the situation of the child in the womb.

COncerning the scituation of the child in the womb, it may be consider∣ed either generally, or specially; specially, either as it concerns the male, or the female.

The male is commonly scituated in the right side of the womb, the female in the left.

The general situation of the childe, either male or female, in the womb, is always the same. Which hath been observed and seen to be in this posture, when the infant lies with his back and his buttocks, leaning against the back of the mother, the head enclined, and touching his breast with his chin; resting his two hands upon his knees, his navel and his nose between his two knees, with his two eyes upon his two thumbs; his legs folded backward, and touch∣ing his buttocks with each leg.

This figure is the most natural, as being least subject to suffer any accident, being less incon∣venient, Page  73 and less troublesome to the mother.

The most naturall form for the childe to come into the world, is when the head comes forward, the hands being stretched upon the hips.

The things which are the causes of a womans delivery, are three; first, the want of respira∣tion and air, for the infant. The second is the want of nourishment, of which when the infant finds a defect in his mothers womb, he is forced to seek it in another place. The third is the narrowness of the place where the infant lies, so that he is forced to seek room other-where, which makes him to break the membranes wherein he was contained, pressing and con∣straining the mother by the sharpness of those waters, to do her duty for his release. Now as some say, there are three ways or manners of childrens comming upon the earth; first, when the head comes foremost, and then the woman is easily delivered; the second, when it comes forth a cross, or one side, or the feet foremost, and then the woman suffers much, and ei∣ther they both dye, or one of them. As for those births which are unnatural, we shall in another place treat of them, and their remedies. In this combate, the infant and the mother suf∣fer very much, by reason that woman is a crea∣ture delicate and timorous, and not patient, of much labour; or because that women great with childe live a lazy and sloathful life; and besides that, many times they eat bad victuals, which en∣crease humours & superfluous excrements, which Page  74 quantity of humours makes the woman to breath short, which is a thing very troublesome to the infant; for a woman that will expel the birth quickly, ought to keep her breath in, as much as she can.

The third reason of the pain in womens tra∣vail, is by reason that the head of a childe is bigger, being compared to the members, then the head of any other creature, which makes a greater opening and dilaceration.

But the women that suffer most pain, are they who were not delivered before, having not been accustomed to the sufferance of that labour; as also elderly women, by reason that the bone of the pubes, the bone of the hip, and the Os sacrum, are not so easily separated, the ligaments being more strong and hard.

Now in the contention which the child makes to issue forth, the head comes first, by reason of the weight, being more heavy then the other members.