A Short Narrative of an Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbets, Perform'd by Mr. John Howard Surgeon at GuilfordSt. André, Nathanael
History
A Short Narrative of an Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbets, Perform'd by Mr. John Howard Surgeon at Guilford
St. André, Nathanael
Factitious disorders; Fraud; Obstetrics -- Early works to 1800; Toft, Mary, 1703-1763
She was lodged over against Mr. _Howard_’s House, we found her dress’d
in her Stays, sitting on the Bed-side with several Women near her. I
immediately examined her, and not finding the Parts prepared for her
Labour, I waited for the coming on of fresh Pains, which hapned in three
or four minutes, at which time I deliver’d her of the entire Trunk,
strip’d of its Skin, of a Rabbet of about four Months growth, in which
the Heart and Lungs were contained with the Diaphragm entire. I instantly
cut off a piece of them, and tried them in Water; they seemed but just
specifically lighter than it, and Mr. _Molyneux_ pressing them to the
Bottom they rose again very slowly; the Heart was very large, and its
_Foramen Ovale_ entirely open; the Lungs were remarkably small, and of
a much darker Colour than commonly the Lungs are of such Rabbets, who
have breathed for some time. No Person but my self touch’d her, from the
first time that I had examined her, to the time of her being deliver’d
by me: Her Pains were pretty smart, and lasted for some Minutes; they
went off the Moment she was deliver’d, and she seem’d chearful and easy;
walked by herself from the Bed-side to the Fire, and sat on a Chair,
where I examined her; and found, that in the Course of the _Fallopian
Tubes_, there were some Inequalities, but more sensibly on the right
side of her Belly; which made me conjecture that the Rabbets were bred
in those Tubes, and only came into the _Uterus_, when they gave her
those Agitations, which, according to the account of Mr. _Howard_ and
of several other Persons, were sensibly felt many Hours before their
Exclusion.
As there was no Blood nor Water that issued from the _Vagina_, after I
had delivered her, I again examined that Part, and found it not in the
least inflamed or lacerated.
Upon examining her Breasts, I found Milk in one of them, but only a
little yellowish _Serum_ in the other.
Her Pulse was regular, but somewhat low, her Tongue florid; and upon
asking for her Water, those about her answered, she made very little, and
that they had not saved any.
She informed us, that in the Intervals of her Labour-Pains she was
tolerably easy, and had no inclination for any sort of Food but Beef.
About two Hours after we had left her, they came again to call Mr.
_Howard_, she being at that Time in violent Labour-Pains; but he and
my self were gone to see the Mayor, who was then ill. The Nurse that
attended her had delivered her, before our return, of the lower Part of
a Male Rabbet, which we found totally with the Trunk, which I had before
extracted: This was also strip’d of its Skin, and compleatly perfect in
all its Parts, but more manifestly so in those of Generation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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