Copy 1

A general treatise of midwifery ... illustrated with upwards of four hundred curious observations and reflexions concerning that art / Written originally in French by La Motte ... And translated into English by Thomas Tomkyns, surgeon.

  • Mauquest de La Motte, Guillaume, 1655-1737.
Date:
1746
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A general treatise of midwifery ... illustrated with upwards of four hundred curious observations and reflexions concerning that art / Written originally in French by La Motte ... And translated into English by Thomas Tomkyns, surgeon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/570 (page 3)
    Observation I. The twenty-eighth of November, in the year 1684, a merchants wife of this town fent for me to confult me about ail the complaints juft now fpecified, which file had laboured under for fome days. I allured her, that all thefe flight inconveniencies denoted labour to be near at hand. The pains increafed at that inftanr. I touched her with a finger dipped in oil, and found the waters ready prepared, which being pufhed in great plenty before the head of the child, during the force of the pains, hindered me from the knowledge of its fituatiom I was forced to flay till the pain was off, when I touched the head thro3 the membranes, which appeared very near, and all in fuch a dilpofition as to make us expedl the child at the next pain. I made a fort of llanting- bed near the fire, and caufed her to lie down on her back *, a cloth in four-double was laid under her loins, a hollow formed under the hips; her knees were removed from one another, with her heels drawn backwards, the feet refting on fome- thing folid ; a cloth was laid over her knees for a covering, and two women, one on each fide with one hand kept the knees afunder, whilft with the other they had hold of the cloth whiclTwas under the loins, to be ready to raife ’em when requifite. I ordered her, at the fame time, to take hold of the fides of the mattrefs with both hands, and to pulh downwards. The pains came on fo brifkly, that I had but juft time to take thefe precautions, and receive the child. The whole did not take up a quarter of an hour. s E 2 Re-