I. THAT, The Child suffers so much in the Birth, that (when born) it is hard to know, whether it be dead or alive, not one part of the Body being perceiv’d to move; which however may be thus well known, viz. by laying my Hand upon its Breast, I shall feel the Motion of the Heart, if alive, tho’ never so weak; as I shall also perceive a small Pulsation of the Arteries, by touching the Navel-String near the Belly.
IN which Case, I would immediately order the Infant to be laid in a Warm Bed or Blanket, and quickly carried to the Fire; where its Mouth is to be open’d, as its Nose is to be clean’d and unstopp’d with small Tents dipp’d in warm White-Wine, and Linnen wet with the same applied to its Breast and Belly; spurting always in the mean time, a little of the same Wine into its Mouth and Nose, until it begin to stir: Or then I would distil a drop of Aqua-Vitæ, from time to time upon its Tongue, bathing its Pulses and Nostrils with the same, while I anointed its Mouth with Honey.
II. IT sometimes only happens, that the tender Face is bruised Black or Blew, Pale or Livid; which may also as well proceed from the Bones of the Pelvis, or from the Child’s being Born Face-upwards, as from the Midwife’s hard Usage. In this Condition, I would only order it to be frequently anointed with the Oil of Sweet Almonds, drawn without Fire, that is, by Expression; upon which it soon recovers its Natural Colour.
III. AGAIN sometimes the Infant is born with a Knob or Tumour on the Crown of its Head, occasion’d by its hard Pressure against the Orifice, or by its strict Compression in the same: In which Condition, I would immediately foment it with warm Wine or Aqua-Vitæ, and apply a Compress to it, either wet in the same, or in the Oil of Roses and Wine beat together; and the same Fomentation and Compress may serve for any other Part of the Body, which may be swell’d by rough Usage, or otherways, in a difficult Birth. But in Case of Suppuration, it must be open’d in a proper place with a Lancet, applying afterwards a Plaister of Betony. As also in Case of a Fracture, or any sort of Dislocation, the Parts must be join’d and reunited, and duly retain’d in their Natural Position by convenient Boulsters or Splinters, until they be firmly closed and reconjoin’d. Moreover
IV. IN Difficult Births, it very commonly falls out that the Head is pressed into an oblong Form by the Bones of the Pelvis, because the Scull not being made of one piece, is not equally hard or firm; the Sutures being only surrounded with Membranes, especially the Top of the Head is so Membranous and soft, that the Bones forming the Scull may be easily pressed one upon another; from whence we have this oblong Figure of the Head. However, in short, this may be corrected and reduced to its Natural Shape, by frequent, but cautious and skilful, Handling.
V. WEAK Children, and such as come præmaturely, or before their Time, into the World, have the Mould and Sutures very open, and the Bones far distant: In which Condition they are only to be softly bound about with a small Cross-Cloth, committing the rest to Nature; which in time, and by degrees, will close up and consolidate these Sutures; and sooner or later, according to the innate Heat and Moisture of the Infant, unite and join the Bones of the Head.
VI. SOMETIMES also it happens that the Child is Tongue-ty’d, by the too strait Astriction of its Bridle; so that this Member cannot freely extend or move itself, thro’ the Capacity of the Mouth; which in the Infancy impedes or hinders its Sucking, as in riper Years it does the Faculty of Speaking: In this Case, the Tongue, being supported or held up, on each side of the String, by a small forked Instrument, ought to be cut a-cross by sharp Scissors as much as is needful; which however must be done with Caution, not to hurt the Veins under the Tongue.
VII. THE Infant is also sometimes troubled with a small round Tumour under the Tongue, fill’d with vitious Blood, or pituitous Matter; which Aëtius and Paulus Ægineta call’d Ranula Linguæ; Which Case may be managed, and the Tumour dissolved by a little Ammoniac Salt, or such other proper Remedies; but if Occasion require, the same may be open’d by a Lancet.
VIII. IT also happens, tho’ but seldom, that the Child is born with a close Fundament; and that sometimes shut up by the single Skin, and sometimes by a fleshy Substance: In the first Condition, there appear some livid Marks of the Meconium thro’ the Skin, which feels soft to the Touch. Upon which occasion, an Apertion must be made with a small Incision-Knife, a-cross, not long-ways, that it may the better receive a round Form, and not so easily grow again together; which however must be done with great Caution, that the Sphincter of the Rectum may not be hurt: And the Meconium being afterwards voided, whether by a Suppository, Clyster, or otherways; the Orifice is to be stopp’d up with a Linnen-Tent, anointed at the beginning with Rose-Honey, but afterwards with some drying and cicatrizing Ointment, such as Unguentum-Aleum, Pompholyx, &c. Dressing it always as often, and as soon, as the Excrements are evacuated, lest the Apertion should turn to an Ulcer.
BUT in the other Case, where the Fundament is stopped up with Flesh, that neither any Mark nor Appearance of the Rectum is seen or felt, whereby its true Situation may be known, or the proper place where the Aperture ought to be made; The Operation is much more difficult, and the Infant but seldom escapes the fatal Consequence of this Misfortune: Which Difficulty notwithstanding, we are diligently to do our Best upon such Occasions; to which End, an Apertion must be made within half an Inch of the Child’s Rump, being the certain place of the Rectum; which in the interim must be perform’d with the greatest Care and Judgment by a small Incision-Knife with one Edge, turning the Back upwards, and thrusting it so forward, until the Aperture be made big enough for the Excrements to pass thro’, always prudently regarding the Sphincter as above; upon which the Wound, &c. are to be dressed and order’d, as in the preceding Case.