THE
DANGER and IMMODESTY
OF
The Present too general Custom of
UNNECESSARILY EMPLOYING
MEN-MIDWIVES.
BEING
The Letters which lately appeared under
the Signature of
A MAN-MIDWIFE.
WITH AN
INTRODUCTION,
A TREATISE on the MILK,
AND AN
APPENDIX.
WITH CORRECTIONS
By the AUTHOR.
LONDON:
Printed for J. Wilkie, No. 71, in St. Paul’s Church-Yard;
and F. Blyth, John’s Coffee-House, Cornhill.
MDCCLXXII.
AN
INTRODUCTION
AND
ADVICE to the LADIES,
POINTING OUT
The dangers attending backening their
milk the first four or five Weeks after
Delivery.
To the PUBLIC.
I have very long been convinced of the many dangerous Consequences which attend the depraved Custom of employing Men-midwives unnecessarily—and have been for some Years intending from Month to Month to write my Ideas on that Subject, in order to combat the very destructive Practice, and endeavour to awaken the slumbering good Sense of the Nation. But when I reflected on the great Difficulty of conquering Prejudice—considered how generally the Opinion had been adopted that “Men were the most proper Attendants on the Labours of Women,” I confess the Task appeared too arduous—and I was discouraged.
I knew, that no Arguments, even if an Angel was to descend from Heaven to utter them, could persuade the Ladies to be satisfied with Midwives of their own Sex, after the fine Polish had been once RUB’D OFF which modesty ought to have work’d up to such a bright Pitch of high finish’d Excellence, as not to have been capable of admitting the impure stain within the glossy smoothness of its beautiful enamel!—I knew, that, assisted by the greatest Part of the Faculty (whose interest, as well as pleasure would be at stake) they would leave no means untried—they would call in every fallacious art to their aid, to continue the deception, by ridiculing Arguments which they could not confute—and that unmarried Ladies, through an Opinion of the Virtue of their Friends, and swayed, and kept in Countenance, by the prevalent Custom of the Times, would naturally fall into the Stream, and not be undeceived until too far hurried by the Current to be afterwards able to recede.—On the other Hand, I likewise knew that our young Men of Fashion had long ago resolved to bid Adieu to thinking. Leaving that troublesome Employment to others, they were intent on pursuing the far nobler Gratifications of Sense—endeavouring to bury in a round of trifling Dissipations, every Sentiment meriting the Attention of reasonable Beings that an Attempt to work on such Minds would be Absurdity in the extreme,—for, that, even if they were convinced of the two uncontrovertable Truths I wish to establish, by being satisfied that Men were not so safe as Women, and that Men-midwives polluted the Minds of their Wives, and rendered them easy Preys to Seduction, yet these Sentiments would have had no Weight with them, because they married without Love, Religion, Principle—the only Ingredients capable of forming national Happiness. Impure in their Souls, debauch’d in their Persons, Libertinism opened the only Avenue which could present them with a Prospect of Enjoyments adapted to their Sensations—their Joys were independent of their Wive’s Society—their Healths consequently were only politely wish’d for—and they would of course readily risk their Wive’s Purity being contaminated, rather than be disappointed in the Pleasure of seducing the Wives of their acquaintance, through the preparatory Assistance of the Men-midwives. The Happiness of our gay young Men not being centered within the narrow Circle of Home, the Virtue of their Wives is not in the least essential, has no Weight, when ballanced with the Advantages they derive from the too general Prostitution of the Sex. They extract Balm from the Vices of Other Women, which has sovereign Efficacy in healing any Wounds—alleviating any smarts, which they may receive, or feel, from the infidelity of their own Wives—whom they never treated as their rational Companions, whose Affections they were desirous of fixing irremoveably,—but as necessary Beings to do the Honours of their Tables—furnish Heirs—and save their Estates from being encumbered with the Payment of the Fortunes of their younger Brothers and Sisters. The only View on one side, is Money—on the other, Quality—each having attain’d the only Object they aim’d at in Marriage,—each, without any fundamental Principle of Goodness, to restrain their Pursuits within the Bounds of Virtue, they throw off the Mask of Decency—and riot in Vice!—Our young Men think the Scriptures fit only to impose on Weakness. The Injunctions of the Gospel interfere with their Enjoyments—and having never believed it’s sacred Truths—or endeavoured to follow it’s amiable Precepts, they never experienced the serene Tranquillity arising from the delightful Possession of an approving Conscience. At the best, forgetful even of the Existence of a God—and laughing at the idle supposition of a future state, they give the Reins without Controul to all their Appetites and Passions—check’d by nothing but what they term honour. But their Honour is comprised, in—punishing the Man with murder who dares to doubt their veracity, or fail in Respect to their Dignity—and in paying their Debts to sharpers, instead of rewarding the Industry of their Tradesmen, by giving them—their own Property. Their Honour does not restrain them from defiling the Beds of their Friends—breaking Promises to worthy Dependants—or betraying the Interests and Honour of their Country for base Wages of Iniquity, though committed with Confidence to their Charge, yet sacrificed without Remorse, for their private Emolument. Their Honour enforces no single Virtue!—away with such honour!
I next consider’d the number of well-disposed Men, who through Prejudice might neglect; or through Indolence, or Weakness of Understanding, be blind to the Force of my Arguments, and of course remain unconvinced by them—and these Obstacles, united, appeared too formidable to be surmounted by any weak Effort I could make through the Channel of a News Paper. At last however I took Courage and submitted my Sentiments to the Consideration of the Public, in the Gazetteer of the 28th of March.
I had not, at that time, any Intention of writing another Letter,—but deriving Hopes from the favourable Impression my first seem’d to have made on the Minds of the Considerate—and having heard weight laid on the Men’s Knowledge of Anatomy as a Reason why they should be safer than Women, I wrote the second Letter to remove that specious, but mistaken Idea—and having known some, and heard of many other young Men Midwives, who really are ignorant of that Knowledge of Anatomy which is their only Recommendation to infatuated Husbands;—and a Man Midwife, under the Signature of “Old Chiron,” having endeavoured to abuse the World with the most scandalous misrepresentations, and gross Fallacies, my last Letter appeared to expose the Danger of employing raw young Men—or believing such interested Deceivers.
I am quite indifferent about the Offence which my Letters have given the Ladies of Fashion, and their darling Doctors—their “sweet Men.” They are conscious my Letters convey only a very faint Sketch of their immodest, obscene practices. They are too bad to be exactly described without using Language very unfit for the Inspection of virtuous Women!—I place dreadful Rocks in their View, to warn them from a Course on which their Purity would be irretrievably wreck’d: and surely those Parents entertain strange Notions of Virtue, who carefully keep my Letters out of the way of their Daughters, through what they imagine to be “Delicacy!”—they would rather, in short, have them polluted in future—past redemption—than instructed by my friendly Admonitions, how to avoid the Path to Vice!—the modest, amiable, worthy, sensible Part of the Community, I am confident, will read my Pamphlet with Candour—approve of the Sentiments contain’d in it—and recommend it to the Perusal of others. I shall view the Censures, and Displeasure of the vicious, and the dissipated, as the highest Eulogiums;—as Praise—which will convey the most genial warmth to my Heart—and, I trust, afford me a pleasing Retrospect in my latest Hours!—
My Letters having succeeded beyond my most sanguine Expectation, I am now encouraged to attack another prevailing Custom among the Fair—that of not giving suck to their Infants, at least during the first five or six weeks.
I shall wave considering the Propriety of a Mother’s giving suck through a Sense of the incumbent Duty she owes her child.—Though the Custom of backening the Milk is unnatural, dangerous, and too often fatal, I shall lay no stress on the former, but rest it entirely on the latter—for in such an Age as the present, in which our fine Ladies have few Ideas of any Religion—are not capable of receiving Pleasure from domestick Employments—would infinitely rather converse with any Men than their Husbands—leave their Children to be instructed, or neglected by Servants, and fly abroad, with eager Impatience to game away their Husbands Fortunes, and receive the criminal Addresses of their profligate Admirers, at the Assembly, the Masquerade, or more commodious Apartments of the Coterie—laughing at the Censures of the few who have still some Regard to Decorum—and despising the Belief of the perpetual Presence of a Being who is Witness to all their secret vicious Deformities—in such times it would be Folly to mention the Dangers they expose their Infants to, from diseased Milk, want of a tender Mother’s Care—or dream of asking them how they will answer to the Almighty for not having afforded them the Nourishment He kindly provided for their Support?—I shall therefore only shew the Absurdity and danger of this Custom, as far as it regards the Health of the Mother.
And here I must endeavour to give my Readers some Idea of that part of the human Body which is concern’d in the formation, and absorbtion of the Milk, in order for their understanding the Force of my arguments.
Our Bodies are constantly, when in Health, receiving Repairs in all their Parts, from millions of the smallest, most minute Arteries. Every Solid, and every Juice, is form’d out of, and secreted from, Blood. Those noxious Parts of the Blood which are not proper for these different, opposite Uses, are thrown off by insensible Perspiration. When, through various Causes, that Perspiration is obstructed, the acrid Matter which ought to have gone off, is absorb’d by the lymphatick Vessels, and returns into the Blood—brings on Fevers, Gout, Rheumatism, &c. &c.
The Lymphaticks, are numberless Vessels, which pass through spungy Glands. These fine Tubes have a vast number of Valves, which prevent the Lymph, (or Liquor) which runs through them from going a contrary Direction from that intended for it. These fine Vessels are dispersed over every Part of our Bodies. The Point of a needle could not be applied to a Spot, under the Skin, where the Mouth of a lymphatic Vessel did not open to imbibe whatever is put in contact with it. These minute Branches run into other Branches, so form larger Vessels, till at last they all unite in a general Reservoir, where the Lymph which they contained, mixes with the Chyle, (the fine Part of our Food, which is fit to be converted into Blood) conducted there by the Lacteals, (the Lacteals resemble the Lymphaticks—they open into the Stomach, and Bowels—they imbibe nothing but from our Food) the Chyle, and Lymph, thus mix’d, run up within the trunk of a large Vessel called the thoracic Duct, on the inside of the back Bone, which is incessantly emptying it’s Liquor into a Vein under the left Collar Bone, where it mixes with the Blood, is immediately convey’d into the vena Cava, which conducts it, with the returning Blood from the rest of the Body, (Lungs excepted) into the right Auricle of the Heart—it thence is drove by the contraction of the Auricle, into the right Ventricle of the Heart—by it’s contraction, into the Pulmonary Artery—from thence through the whole Lungs, where the Blood receives a Change from being impregnated with something received from the Air every Inspiration. The Blood thus changed, is collected from the Lungs into the Pulmonary Veins, and conducted into the left Auricle of the Heart; which drives it into the left Ventricle; which forces it into a great Artery, the Aorta—which rushes it over every other Part of the Body.
The lymphatic Vessels prevent our Blood depending solely on our Food for supply, and by means of them we can subsist some time merely on the Produce of our own Bodies. All these lymphatic Vessels are closely accompanied by Arteries—whose Pulsations assist the motion of the Lymph to it’s Reservoir:⸺Consequently the quicker and stronger they beat, the faster the Lymph is hurried into the Blood. Hence the Reason why Fevers occasion so speedy a wasting of the Flesh—hence Hectics bring on Consumptions—hence People in Fevers can subsist long with little Food,—The lymphaticks then supplying the Blood too abundantly from our own Juices.
The Author of Nature has ordered an extraordinary Quantity of Blood to be prepared for the Child’s Food. Arteries run into the Glands of the Breasts, and in passing through them, the Blood, by a most wonderful Change, is converted into Milk!⸺by a Change, which nothing but Custom prevents our viewing as a Miracle!
The admired Toast of the Town cannot endure the Trouble of nursing. It would confine her too much at home—it has too vulgar an appearance—it is not warranted by the Example of the first Circle—the Milk must therefore be backen’d.—It is denied Liberty to discharge itself by the Out-lett Providence intended for it—the Child, whose Constitution it was calculated for, is not suffered to have it’s Due. What becomes of the Milk?
It is absorb’d by the lymphatic Vessels, contrary to the original Intention of Nature—and convey’d back into the Blood, in the manner I have before described.—What is the Consequence?—The blood Vessels become not only highly over-charged with Blood, but that Blood is thus rendered of an improper Consistence. A Fever ensues!—This Fever comes on when the woman is ill able to bear it’s Shock!—How often is this Fever fatal!
The most fortunate Circumstance that can happen, is, when the Milk finds another out-lett. Probably otherwise there may be a formation of Matter somewhere—there is danger that Matter may fly to some capital Part.
If the Woman is young, healthy, strong, it is most probable the Milk will not be absorb’d quick enough. The Blood will furnish Milk faster than the lymphatick Vessels can imbibe it, and convey it back again. The Breasts are painfully distended—they inflame.
When too late—it is then resolved they shall be suck’d.
During the time of Pregnancy a small quantity of Milk is lodged in the Milk Vessels of the Breasts. This Milk, when the nine Months are expired, is thick—clogs the Vessels. If the Woman never gave suck, the Pores through which the Milk ought to issue to the Child, are not open enough—they require therefore to be clear’d, by the old Milk being suck’d off, the very day of the Delivery, and to empty the Milk Vessels of what must otherwise clog them. Some woman ought to suck this off therefore as soon as possible. If the Child is put to the Breast in Twelve, or Sixteen Hours after it’s Birth, it will suck greedily—if delay’d three or four Days, it is twenty to one the Child will not attempt it for a long time.
When therefore the Necessity of the Case has overcome every Resolution form’d for the Woman’s not giving suck, and her Child is put to her Breast, it is in vain!—the Child will not touch the Breast!—other Children—or women attempt to ease the poor Woman of her Load of Milk—this Resource likewise fails! the thick Milk has clog’d the Vessels—the N-pp-es, owing to the hard Distension of the Breasts, has shrunk into them—and, besides, their Pores have never been open’d—never been clear’d—no endeavours avail! the distress’d Woman, after having been sadly fatigued, exhausted, finds herself disappointed of Relief!—dreadful Symptoms soon appear! she too probably falls a sacrifice to a ridiculous—senseless—not to say a sinful deviation from the Path of Nature!—how many fine young Women have lately died—and go off every Year, from this Cause!
But “particular Women have not Constitutions strong enough to bear giving suck. Certainly there are some Women whom it might hurt.” Granted. Let such particular Women give suck only for the first four, five or six Weeks. If those Women then really find themselves too delicate for the longer continuance of such a Drain, they then may safely by degrees leave off giving suck—they have sufficiently recover’d Strength to venture throwing the Milk gently back into the Blood. The most delicately form’d Woman existing should not dream of suffering a single Drop of the Milk which Nature intended for Evacuation, to return into the Blood, untill the Constitution is re-established—and enabled to bear discharging itself of the Superfluities, without encountering the Dangers which demonstrably attend a contrary Practice. If a Woman is too delicate to bear continuing to suckle her Infant, surely she is too delicate to endure the flying in the Face of Nature, and risking the Fever—if she is healthy and strong, the more incumbent her duty is, to nourish her Child—her danger too equal. In every View, the salutary Consequences attending Mothers discharging their Duty to their Children in this point, are so obvious, so glaring, that to me it is matter of doubt whether those who fail in it are most to be condemn’d and despised for their want of natural Affection—or pitied and ridiculed for their Folly.
These are my Ideas on this interesting Subject. Let those Women who obstinately persevere in a Resolution to deny their Infants their natural Food—(and in whose Judgements my Arguments have appear’d deficient in Weight) stand the Trial, and risk the Consequence. I most sincerely hope the Success may answer their Wishes!
I now refer my Readers to the following Letters. I can assert, with conscious Truth that my Sentiments on the preceding, and following Subjects, have been the offspring of an Heart warm’d by a Love for my fellow-Creatures—ever most ardently solicitous for their Welfare and Happiness, here and hereafter.
I cannot expect to reclaim any Woman who has already used a Man, for Reasons I gave at the beginning of this Introduction, and because, by quitting him, she would tacitly acknowledge the Truth of my Assertions—and because none but those possess’d of the most exalted Qualities of the Head and Heart, can have greatness enough to confess they have been in an Error of such a Nature.
I am not without hopes however, of opening the Eyes of sensible Men—and unmarried Women, who are at present modest, and wish to remain so—and preventing the former from advising, and the latter from falling into the scandalous Custom of employing Men-Midwifes, which I know to be erroneous as to it’s pretended safety—fatally dangerous to the virtue—and certainly destructive of the modesty[1] of my fair Countrywomen.—They may believe me when I assure them that no purity can withstand the rude Shock of such Intrusions—the whitest Ermine is most liable to have it’s Beauties sullied!
If I should be happy enough to hear in a few Years that I have given the least Check to this most abandon’d of vicious Practices, the Consciousness of having done a most signal Service to the Community, will implant genuine Pleasure—substantial Satisfaction in the Breast of
the Public’s
most obedient
humble Servant,
The Author.
[1] I make a great Distinction between Modesty, and Virtue. A Woman may be virtuous, without being Modest—but it is impossible to be modest, without being virtuous. Modesty is the guard of Virtue—but it is possible a cold Constitution may preserve Virtue, even after every Trace of Modesty has been obliterated.