Volume 1

A short account of the state of midwifery in London, Westminster, etc. Wherein an effectual method is proposed, to enable the midwomen to perform their office ... with as much ease, speed, and safety, as the most dexterous midmen ... / [John Douglas].

  • Douglas, John, approximately 1680-1743.
Date:
1736
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A short account of the state of midwifery in London, Westminster, etc. Wherein an effectual method is proposed, to enable the midwomen to perform their office ... with as much ease, speed, and safety, as the most dexterous midmen ... / [John Douglas]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    44/84 (page 36)
    c-n Case XXXIIL ££ The Child’s arm prefented ££ feveral hours before I was fent for *, upon which C£ I rebuked the Midwife for not fending fooner ; ££ but fhe, to juftify herfelf, had the AfTurance to ££ to tell me, that Hie had brought out feveral ££ children prefenting in that manner; whereupon I 4C fhewed her the impofllbility of it, and advifed ‘£ her for the future always to fend for help, as ££ foon as fhe fhould find the hand to prefent firft, ££ and not, by pulling the hand, draw it further C£ down, and engage the fhoulder in the paffage, 6£ as Ihe had now done.” Pray would it not have been much more feafonable advice to have fhewn her how to pafs her hand, and get hold of the feet, &c. Case XXXIV. 46 The Nurfe came and told 44 me the child was born, but the Midwife was 4£ foiled in her attempts to fetch away the Placenta? ££ I went, and found the Midwife was both igno- rant of the caufe of its being retained, and the c£ method of puffing the hand to extradf it ; yet ££ I broughtffit away whole in lefs than half a.mi* ££ nute’s time, which much furprized both the wo* £t man and the by-ftanders, the Midwife having 46 fpent fo much time without being able to effedl ££ it.” Sometimes a Man gets more credit by do* ing nothing than by a difficult operation ! Case XXXV. ££ The Man-midwife’s being ££ fent for fo late, too often proceeds from the Igno- ranee or Self-fufficiency of the Midwife, (but oftener from the tnodefty of the women, covetoufnefs., or real poverty of the men, &V.) cc who either f not knowing how to behave in difficult cafes*