Those women therefore, who seem to die suddenly, let them not be committed unto the earth until the end of three days, lest the living be buried for the dead. _Cause._—The part affected is the womb, of which there is a twofold motion—natural and symptomatical. The natural motion is, when the womb attracteth the seed, or excludeth the infant or secundine. The symptomatical motion, of which we are to speak, is a convulsive drawing up of the womb. The cause is the retention of the seed, or the suppression of the menses, causing a repletion of the corrupt humours in the womb, from whence proceeds a flatuous refrigeration, causing a convulsion of the ligaments of the womb. And as it may come from humidity or repletion, being a convulsion, it may be caused by emptiness or dryness. And by abortion, or difficult child-birth. _Signs._—At the approaching of the suffocation, there is a paleness in the face, weakness of the legs, shortness of breath, frigidity of the whole body, with a working in the throat, and then she falls down as one void of sense and motion; the mouth of the womb is closed up, and being touched with the fingers feels hard. The paroxysm of the fit being past, she openeth her eyes, and feeling her stomach oppressed, she offers to vomit. It differs from apoplexy, by reason it comes without shrieking out; also in the hysterical passion the sense of feeling is not altogether destroyed and lost, as it is in the apoplectic disease: and it differs from the epilepsies in that the eyes are not wrested, neither doth any spongy froth come from the mouth; and that convulsive motion, which sometimes, is joined to suffocations, is not universal, and it is in the epilepsies, only this or that matter is convulsed without vehement agitation. In the syncope, both respiration and pulse are taken away, and she swoons away suddenly; but in the hysterical passion, there is both respiration and pulse, though it cannot be well perceived; her face looks red, and she hath a fore-warning of her fit. Lastly, it is distinguished from the lethargy by the pulse, which in one is great, and the other little. _Prognostics._—If the disease arises from the corruption of the seed, it foretells more danger than if it proceed from the suppression of the menses, because the seed is concocted, and of a purer quality than the menstruous blood; and the more pure being corrupted becomes the more foul. If it be accompanied with a syncope, it shows nature is weak, and that the spirits are almost exhausted; but if sneezing follows, it shows that the heat begins to return, and that nature will subdue the disease. _Cure._—In the cure observe: first, that during the paroxysm, nature must be provoked to expel those malignant vapours which stupify the senses, that she may be called out of that sleepy ecstacy. Secondly, that in the intermission of the fit, proper medicines may be applied to take away the cause.