Volume 1

The diseases of women with child, and in the child-bed: as also the best means of helping them in natural and unnatural labours, with fit remedies for the several indispositions of new-born babes, to which is prefix'd an exact description of the parts of generation in women / written in French by Francis Mauriceau, and translated by Hugh Chamberlen.

  • Mauriceau, Francis.
Date:
1736
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The diseases of women with child, and in the child-bed: as also the best means of helping them in natural and unnatural labours, with fit remedies for the several indispositions of new-born babes, to which is prefix'd an exact description of the parts of generation in women / written in French by Francis Mauriceau, and translated by Hugh Chamberlen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fome fix or ten Hours after, require the good Advice of, and, per adventure, fpeedy Delivery by expert Phyfecians in this Practice : For tho' a few may efcape in thefe Cafes» yet the far greater Number perifh, if not aided by them. Let me therefore advife the good Women, not fo readily to blame thofeMidwives who are not backward, in dangerous Cafes, to defireAdvice, left it coft them dear, by difcouragings and forcing them to prefume beyond their Knowledge or Strength, efpedaily when too many are over-confident, Thofe few Things wherein I diffent from my Author\ if of dangerous Confequence, are noted in the Margin % if not, are left to the Difcretion of the Reader. I confefs he is often too prolixa Fault which the French much affeft; however, I chofe rather to tranflate hint according to his own Stile, than contract him *, and alfo to leave unaltered fome Things not very well exprefs'd, be- ing of finall Moment. I find alfo he diftinguifhes not be- tween the JVords Plaifter and Ointment, but ufes them promifcuoufly one for the other. In thefeventeenth Chapter of the fecond Book, my Author juftifies thefaftning Hooks in the Head of a Child that comes right, and yet becaufe of fome Difficulty or Difproportion cannot pafs which I confefs has been, and is yet the Prac¬ tice of the moft expert Artifts in Midwifry, not only in England, but throughout Europe, and has much caus'd the Report, That where a Man comes, one or both muft neceflarily die *, and is the Reafon of forbearing to find, till the Child is dead, or the Mother dying. But I can neither approve of that Practice nor thofe Delays *, be¬ caufe my Father, Brothers, and tnyfelf [,tho' none elfe in Europe as I know] have, by God's Bleffiing, and our Induftry, attain'd to, and long practis'd a Way to deliver Women in this Cafe, without any Prejudice to them or their Infants *, tho' all others (being oblig'd for want of fuch an Expedient, to ufe the common Way) do, and muft endanger, if not deftroy one or both with Hooks. By this manual Ope¬ ration a Labour may be difpatch'd, (on the leaft Difficulty) with fewer Pains, and fooner, to the great Advantage, i and[