Note 29 — HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.

At the same time it must be acknowledged that many of these revolting applications have actually produced benefit by a physical operation; we need only mention the nauseous remedies recommended by many writers on Midwifery to expedite delivery, which induced the desired effect by producing nausea, or vomiting. Hartman says (Opera. Fol. p. 72) that he has often witnessed amongst the poor, that difficult labour has been accelerated by a draught of the husband’s urine! and, he adds, that horse dung infused in wine is efficacious in expelling the Placenta. Sarah Stone, a midwife who published some cases in 1737, mentions several instances of women in labour, to whom was given the juice of leeks, mixed with their husband’s urine, in order to strengthen the pains. Nauseous remedies have always enjoyed the confidence of the vulgar; this prejudice would seem to be the result of a species of false reasoning, by no means uncommon, that as every thing medicinal is nauseous, so must every thing that is nauseous be consequently medicinal.