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THe signes of the suffocation of the womb, are a wearines of the whole body, with a weakness of the thighs; a palenes and sadness of the face; a nauseousness, though seldom vomiting; oftentimes a loathing and distast of meat, and that sometimes with a grumbling and noise in the belly, and sometimes with∣out.
The signs of the present disease are, that when
the vapours are carried up to the heart, and do there stop the vital spirits, a light swooning follows, the pulse changes, & is little, the body grows cold, all the spirits flying up into the heart; the vapour being thrust up to the head and chaps, the chaps are many times set fast, the Patient seeming to be stifled; the motion of the breast and Diaphragme is disturbed and hindred, so that the breath is almost stopt, the Patient living only by transpiration. Some∣times there is joyned with it a kinde of uterine fury, with talking and anger; sometimes it causes other madnesses; sometimes the Woman fals into a dead sleep, which makes her seem as though she were dead.
It differs from the Epilepsie, because in that the convulsive motions are more general; nor is there any memory of those things which hap∣ned about them after the Fit; the pulse is great, & the mouth of the party affected fomes with a froth: it differs from the Apoplexie, because in that the fit comes suddenly without any notice, & the Patient is affected with a kinde of snort∣ing, and there is such a resolution of the parts, that they feel not although they be pricked: from a Syncope, in that there are no signs when the fit wil be, the pulse ceases to the apprehen∣sion, & the Patientis troubled with cold sweats. They differ from dead people by sneezing, which may be provoked by putting some∣thing for that purpose into the nose.
The cause of this is a venemous, subtile, and thin vapour, piercing in one moment through the whole body, and carried up from the mat∣ter in the womb, corrupted after a peculiar manner either by it self, or from external means; such are perfumes, anger, fear, &c. and not only ascending through the veins, but also through all the other breathing holes, and se∣cret passages of the body.
The cure is doubtful if it have possessed old Women for any time, for it begets weakness, consumes the strength, and shews abundance of humors; or if it possesseth Child-bearing Wo∣men, either after a difficult travel, or after an a∣bortion; or if it possesseth Women with child, be∣cause it induees a fear of abortion; there is more hope, if the act of respiration be not too much impeded, and if the Fits do not return too often.
The cure regards first the time of the fit, be∣ing performed first by means of interception, which may be done by binding the belly un∣der the navel with a girdle made of the skin of a Hart kild in the very act of copula∣tion. Secondly, by keeping the natural spirits awaked and rouzed up, by painful frictions, by pulling the hairs of the privities with violence, and suffumigations made with Partridge fea∣thers burnt, as also Eel-skins, and the appli∣cation of Assa-faetida and oyle of Tartar to the mouth. Thirdly, by way of revulsion of the humour, by Frictions and Clysters dispel∣ling
the windes, and the application of Cup∣ping-glasses with much flame first to the thighs, and then to the hips, putting sweet things in∣to the privities; such as are oyle of Sivet half a scruple, oyle of Nutmegs one scruple. Fourth∣ly, by discussion of the humour, which is per∣formed inwardly by the oyle of white Amber, with the powder of Wall-nut flowers, extract of Castor; externally by an Emplaster of the fat of a black Heifer, Sclarea boyld in butter, adding to it a sufficient quantity of Tachamahacca and Caranna: After the fit is past, evacuation is to be regarded, first with purgation; for which purpose it will not be amisse to use these ensuing pills, Take Siler mountain, penyroyall, madder, the innermost part of Cassia pipe, Pomegranat kernels, Piony roots, and Calamus, of each three drams, Mus∣cus▪ and Spike of India, of each half a dram; then make pils thereof with the juyce of Mug∣wort, of which she may take every day, or eve∣ry other day before supper. If the disease pro∣ceed from the termes, let the woman affected take an ounce of Agarick powdered in wine or honied water, or a dram of Agnus Castus powdered with an ounce of hony of Roses: the womb is also to be strengthened by the inter∣nall and externall application of such things as resist the malignity of the disease; among which are numbred Faecula, Brioniae and Ca∣stor. The difference of this disease consists in this, that sometimes it happens that it is oc∣casioned
by the retention of the seed, which is known by this, that the symptoms of the dis∣ease are more violent; and after the fit is past, there flowes out of the womb a matter like to that of the seed. It is cured by evacuation of the seed, such as are Rue, and Agnus Castus, and anointing with odoriferous salves, espe∣cially if the woman be to live without the use of man,
If it come from the suppression of the terms, which is known by the courses being mingled with a melancholy blood, take pow∣dered Agarick, a dram of Piony seeds, or the weight of a dram and a half of Triphera magna.
But to conclude this Chapter, take this for a secret, that for a married Woman in case of the present suffocation, there is nothing better then for the man to anoint the top of his Yard with a little oyl of Gilliflowers & oyl of sweet Almonds together, and so to lye with her; for this assuredly brings down the Matrix again.