The Female Physician / Containing all the diseases incident to that sex, in virgins, wives, and widows; together with their causes and symptoms, their degrees of danger, and respective methods of prevention and cure: to which is added, the whole art of new improv'd midwifery; comprehending the necessary qualifications of a midwife, and particular directions for laying women, in all cases of difficult and preternatural births; together with the diet and regimen of both the mother and child.

CHAP. II.
Of the AFTER-PAINS.

THESE Pains, which usually accompany or follow after the BIRTH, are common to all Child-Bed-Women; and in that Natural Sense, as they proceed only from the quantity of BLOOD abounding in the relaxed Womb, distending its MEMBRANES, or arise from its Acrimony; so they gradually cease, and in two or three days quite vanish: Wherefore I am not to insist upon Those, which only affect the debilitated Womb.

BUT it often and too commonly also happens, that another Sort, justly call’d Preternatural AFTER-PAINS, afflict the Woman; which she sometimes feels about her Loins and her Groins, sometimes about the Navel, sometimes all over the Belly, and sometimes in the Womb only, and that sometimes with a little, and sometimes without any Intermission.

THE most common Cause of which PAINS is generally one of the Five following; Viz. 1. The External AIR, especially the more frigid, which easily penetrates into the Womb, if not carefully prevented: 2. Clotted BLOOD, or some other foreign Body left behind in the Womb: 3. Some Acrid, and Mordacious Blood adhering to the Womb, which excites and stimulates Excretion: 4. The SERUM vellicating or twitching the excoriated part of the Womb: Or, 5. WINDS elevated from the Humours fermenting in its Substance; which, together with those turgent Humours, tear its tender TUNICKS.

NOW because these Pains often excruciate the Woman as much as the real Labour-Pains do, and since they are not always without Danger, Necessity demands that they should be either cured, or at least mitigated: Which may be most properly done, by convenient relaxing and attenuating Medicines outwardly applied, as well as inwardly taken, when the Case does not require the Hand-Cure, or manual Operation.

HOWEVER, yet more particularly, in respect of the Pains, from what Cause soever they may proceed, CLYSTERS of Milk with the Yolks of Eggs are proper; as are also emollient Fomentations mix’d with attenuating and Uterine Medicines; a Fumigation of BRANDY; a Decoction of the Recrements of the Regulus of Antimony; such things being of a sulphurous Nature: And moreover, in fine, all AFTER-PAINS are eased by Aromatick and Carminative Remedies; such as Seeds of Anise, Carway, Cummin, Fennel, Penny-Royal, Roman-Camomil, &c. infus’d or boil’d in Wine or Water, adding thereto a very little Mace and Saffron.