in a little time bring away
the dead child.

If, as soon as she is delivered of the dead child, you are in doubt that
part of the afterbirth is left behind in the body (for in such cases as
these many times it rots, and comes away piece-meal), let her continue
drinking the same decoction until her body be cleansed.

A decoction made of herbs, muster-wort, used as you did the decoction of
hyssop, works the effect. Let the midwife also take the roots of
pollodum and stamp them well; warm them a little and bind them on the
sides of her feet, and it will soon bring away the child either dead or
alive.

The following medicines also are such as stir up the expulsive faculty,
but in this case they must be stronger, because the motion of the child
ceases.

Take savine, round birthwort, trochisks of myrrh, castor, cinnamon and
saffron, each half a drachm; make a powder, give a drachm.

Or she may purge first, and then apply an emollient, anointing her about
the womb with oil of lilies, sweet almonds, camomiles, hen and
goose-grease. Also foment to get out the child, with a decoction of
mercury, orris, wild cucumbers, saecus, broom flowers. Then anoint the
privities and loins with ointment of sow-bread. Or, take coloquintida,
agaric, birthwort, of each a drachm; make a powder, add ammoniacum
dissolved in wine, ox-gall, each two drachms. Or make a fume with an
ass's hoof burnt, or gallianum, or castor, and let it be taken in with a
funnel.

To take away pains and strengthen the parts, foment with the decoction
of mugwort, mallows, rosemary, with wood myrtle, St. John's wort, each
half an ounce, spermaceti two drachms, deer's suet, an ounce; with wax
make an ointment. Or take wax six ounces, spermaceti an ounce; melt
them, dip flux therein, and lay it all over her belly.

If none of these things will do, the last remedy is to try surgery, and
then the midwife ought without delay to send for an expert and able
man-midwife, to deliver her by manual operation, of which I shall treat
more at large in the next chapter.

FOOTNOTES:

[10] Horse-parsley.

* * * * *

CHAPTER VI

_Of Unnatural Labour._

In showing the duty of a midwife, when the child-bearing woman's labour
is unnatural, it will be requisite to show, in the first place, what I
mean by unnatural labour, for that women do bring forth in pain and
sorrow is natural and common to all. Therefore, that which I call