The compleat midwifes practice, in the most weighty and high concernments of the birth of man. Containing perfect rules for midwifes and nurses, as also for women in their conception, bearing, and nursing of children: from the experience not onely of our English, but also the most accomplisht and absolute practicers among the French, Spanish, Italian, and other nations. A work so plain, that the weakest capacity may easily attain the knowledge of the whole art. With instructions of the midwife to the Queen of France (given to her daughter a little before her death) touching the practice of the said art. / Published with the approbation and good liking of sundry the most knowing professors of midwifery now living in the city of London, and other places. Illustrated with severall cuts in brass. By T.C. I.D. M.S. T.B. practitioners.

CHAP. XIV. Of the several parts constituting the Yard.

AMong the parts that compose the structure of the yard, is that skin w^ch with its cuticle, and fleshy pannicle, is common not only to this, but to other members; only it hath this pecu∣liar to it self, that it may be reflexed, and drawn back from the nut of the yard. This skin that turns back is called the preputium; because that part in circumcision was cut away, with which prepuce, the nut of the yard is covered.

The Glans or nut of the yard is a fleshy part, soft, thin, repleat with bloud and spirits; endu∣ed with an exquisite sence; something sharp and acute at the end. This is fastened to the prepuce at the lower part, by a certain ligament, which is therefore called the bridle, or the filet, which commonly is broken in the first venereal assaults, which are for the most part the most fu∣rious.

The greatest part of the yard is constituted by two nervous bodies, on both sides one, which terminate both together in the nut. They rise from a twofold original, leaning or resting up∣on

the hip, under the share bone; whence as from a sure foundation they go on till they arrive at the nut of the yard.

They consist of a double substance, the first is nervous, hard and thick; the inner part black, loose, soft, thin and spungy. It is called the Nervous pipe. These two bodies are joyned to∣gether by a certain membrane, thin, yet ner∣vous, which is strengthened by certain over∣thwart fibers, being there placed in the likeness of a weavers shuttle: and though in their origi∣nal they are seperated the one from the other, that there might remain some certain space for the ureter; yet they are joyned together about the middle of the share bone; where they lose about the third part of their nervous substance.

The interiour substance, which is wrapt about by the exteriour nervous substance, hath this worthy observation, that there appears stretch∣ed through the whole length of it, a thin and tender artery, proportionable to the bigness of the body; which is diffused through the whole loose substance of the yard, reaching as far the root of the yard. Besides these two, there is another body which lies between these two, as proper, or rather more peculiar to the yard then they are. This is a pipe placed at the inferiour part of the yard, being called the Vre∣ter, though it be a passage as proper to the seed, as to the urine; which is encompassed by the two fore-mentioned bodies. This is a certain Chan∣nel produced in length, and running through

the middle of those nervous bodies, consisting of the same substance that they do, being loose, thick, soft, and tender; every way equal from the neck of the bladder to the nut of the yard, saving that it is a little wider at the beginning, then it is toward the place where it ends, which is at the head of the glans or nut of the yard.

At the beginning of this Channel there are three holes; one in the middle, and some∣thing bigger then the other two, arising from the neck of the bladder; the other two on both sides one, being something narrower, proceed∣ing from the passage that goes out of the semi∣nary vessels, and conveighs the seed into this channel.

This is further to be noted in this place, that in the channel, where it is joyned to the glans, together with the nervous bodies, there is a little kind of cavern, in which sometimes either putrid seed, or any other corroding humour, as happens in the gonorrhaea, being collected, is the cause of ulcers in that part, the cause of very great pain; and it many times also comes to pass, that there is a certain little piece of flesh which grows out of this ulcer, that oftentimes stops up the passages of the urine.

To the structure of the yard, there do more∣over concur two pair of muscles, one more short and thick, proceeding from a part of the hip, near the beginning of the yard, and being of a fleshy substance. The use of these two muscles, is to sustain the yard in the erection;

and to bend the fore-part of the yard, which is to be inserted into the womb: the other pair is longer, and rises from the sphincter of the fun∣dament, where they are endued with a more fleshy substance, being in length full as long as the yard; under which they are carried down∣ward, ending at the sides of the ureter, about the middle of the yard. Their use is to dilate the ureter, both at the time of making water, and at the time of conjunction; lest it should be stopped up, by the repletion of the nervous bodies, and so stop up the passage of the seed. They are also thought to keep the yard firm, lest it should lean too much to either side, and also to press out the seed out of the prostatae or forestanders.

There are vessels also of all sorts in the yard: first of all certain veins appearing in the external parts, and in the cuticle; which branch them∣selves out from the Hypogastrion. In the middle, betwen the space of the fibres, they send out certain branches from the right side, to the left, and from the left, to the right. These veins swelling with a frothy bloud and spirit, erect the yard. There are also certain nerves which scatter themselves from the pith or marrow of the holy bone quite through the yard, bringing with them the cause of that pleasure and delight, which is perceived in the erection of the yard.

Notes

• The nut of the yard.
• The two nervous bodies.
• Their sub∣stance.
• The Ureter.
• The holes of th•• Ure∣ter.
• Note.
• The Mu∣scles of the Yard.
• The vessel of the Yard.