LETTER III.
In my two last letters, I believe I satisfied thosewho are open to conviction, thateven the bestMen-midwives arenot so safeas women,—and that the custom is destructive of modesty, and affords those Men-midwiveswho chuse it, finer seraglios than are in the possession of the most luxuriant Monarchs of the East.
There are bad consequences attending the practice which I have not mentioned. It is productive of danger, and of many evils, even when followed by the most eminent men in London;—who can fix limits then to its pernicious consequences, when a set ofraw, unskillful youngmen are turned loose through this town—round its skirts—and over the whole kingdom, and are received by the credulous multitude with no other recommendation than the words over the door of “⸺,Surgeon and Man-midwife?” Boys think themselves qualified for Men-midwives, by having attendedone or two courses of lectures under Doctor Hunter,—or, perhaps, without having heard any lectures at all, or ever having seen a subject anatomized, start from behind an apothecary’s counter—and begin their career, murdering of infants without mercy; and with impunity laying the foundation for cancers, and the most dreadful diseases in women;—not to mention the chance of their ruining the peace of families, by introducing vice and discord, where health and harmony might otherwise have gladdened their serene dwellings.—They know enough of the ways requisite to use force;⸺they have heard female Midwives blamed for allowing tedious labours;⸺they think they will be deemed expert, in proportionto the quicknesswith which they bring the child into the world,—and the mischiefs they of course give rise to are innumerable! It is not in the nature of things possible thata young man, ever so well qualifiedby study, can bea safeMidwife—how dreadful then must the situations be of those poor women whoare in the hands of the numberless men who practice that business throughout England!⸺The people ignorantly take for grantedthat the sexconstitutes knowledge—insures safety! The truth is,the sexalone is sufficientto renderany knowledgedestructive ingeneralpractice. If the menmust be introducedintothe privaciesof women, I would earnestly recommend it asthe most essentialqualificationrequisiteto preparethem for the study, that they submit to having theirvoicesmade delicate.
And here I should have finished my letter, and the subject, if I had not seen an Essay in the Gazetteer of the 17th, signed “Old Chiron,” which I cannot avoid making some remarks on, before I conclude.
The author of it uses tolerable language, and probably could write pretty well on any other subject. He has done as much as could have been attempted in orderto continuethe delusive error which blindsmankind. He knew he hadnot Truthon his side—he has thereforeput words together, without argument⸺he has boldly denied, what it is impossible to disprove⸺he hasasboldlyassertedwhat never happened—and thenlaughed-offfacts, trustingby ridiculeto conceal their existence. The pen ofJuniuscould not defend the women who use men.
I believethe thinkingpart of the world will join with me in opinion, that he would have shewn more wisdom if he had remained silent. A bad defence does harm to any cause—andthe more ablethe defender appears in his stile and language, the worse it is for his cause when he convinces his readers, that evenhis abilitiescannot do it service. The more this subject is investigated, the more prejudicial it will be to his profession.[4]A practice,adopted, andcontinued through a jumblementofignoranceandvice, can only be favoured by sufferingan impenetrableshadeto veilactionsfit only for darkness.
Old Chiron has been drove so hard as to have been forced to assert that the female Midwives always “cramtheir patients with cordials⸺keeping them intoxicated during the time they are in labour”—and that they act like infernal fiends, “drivingpoor womenup and down stairs, notwithstanding theirshrieks, andshaking them so violentlyas often to bring on convulsion fits, on pretence of hastening their labours⸺laughing at their cries⸺and breaking wretched jests upon the contortions of the women, whose torments would make a feeling man shudder at the sight.”⸺I believe that it is not possible any one can beso sillily credulousas to have faith in these mostshocking, unnatural, improbable, horridrecitals! Is it possible evenif such a brutein an human shame found an entry into an house, that the poor lying-in woman couldbe ableto be forced “up and down stairs?”⸺andallow herselfto beshook? Ifshewas ignorant enough, and foolish enough to consent,would her relations⸺her friends⸺anxiouslyattending her,likewise be so ignorantas not to knowsuchtreatment was highly improper, as well ascruel beyond cannibal brutality? And this tooin England! where bearing of children is not so veryuncommon, so veryextraordinarya circumstance, as that a Midwife could find means to persuade people into such dreadful absurdities!—The ideais too ridiculous! I have seen among my near relations, many women in labour, as long as it was decent for a man to be present; and declare I have always seen their Midwives treat them with the utmost tenderness. I have enquired of several ladies of my acquaintance, each of whom has bore many children, and always employed women, and they have all declared they never evenheardof any thing in themost distantmanner resembling such treatment, as thisinterestedauthor has abused his talents by relating. To vouch falsehoods, and forthe most malignantpurposes, needs no comment. Perhaps some diabolical wretch may have behaved in this manner⸺but is that ground enough toerect defamations on, against the whole sex? Ifsuchproof was to be admitted decisive, I could severely retaliate on himsuchproceedings of men, as would melt an heart of adamant! and I could bring demonstrable evidence to confirm the authenticity of my relations—but I have already been called “indelicate”—and if I was to write the horrors my pen could unfold—delineate facts, paintingthe indecencies, andbarbaritiesof menwhom I could name, I shouldindeed be indelicate. What must then theactshave been, whichno languagecan convey a description of, without offending the virtuous, andshockingthehumane! yet I should look on myself as very culpable if I had instanced these menas standardsfor the whole profession to be judged by. I gave the preferenceto women,notbecause all menwere brutes, but becausethe greatest Sainton earth,ifamanin health, could not answer for his principles being proof against theirresistible temptations arisingfrom beingfreely indulgedinthe most luxuriousliberties with allthe femininebeauties of lovely women,—and because their knowledge of anatomy, and theirinstrumentsbeing ready at hand, too oftentemptthem to useforce, and do mischief in parts of the mostexquisitesensibility, whichnoart,nocare,noremedy, caneverafter repair; where, ifnaturehad been allowed to do her office, she would have beena safeoperator, and all would have ended happily; and let any impartial person decidewhether a man, who knows every method of forcing the birth,or a woman, who is conscious of beingunacquaintedwiththat dangerous knowledge,aremost likelyto alter thecourse of nature, by interfering, where she ought to bethe soleactor?⸺It is an indisputable fact, that women have such a peculiar sympathy for females big with young, that ninety-nine out of an hundred carry it to such an excess as to be anxious aboutbrutesin that situation. I have often heard ladies uneasy about mares they have seen with foal, and bitches with whelp. It isan instinctimplanted, andinterwoven with their naturesby the Great Sourceof all things, for the wisest purposes. Thosewho have feltthe agonies of child birth, surely must be able to sympathizemore feelinglythan men who can only form an idea of them by theory. Women must be allowed to have more tenderness in their natures than men⸺so thatin every viewwe cannot contest the point of sensibility with them. Yet this author asserts women are improper for Midwives because they aremostinhuman—because they drive their fellow-creatures up and down stairs—and shake them into convulsion fits! did old Chiron write ironically? or did he mean to betray the cause of the male-practitioners, by asserting fictitious nonsense, which carries falsehood on it’s face?⸺Let any oneview the forceps, and then judgewhetherit isagentle instrument? it speaks it’s office!—Let any oneview the crotchet, crooked scissars, &c. sharp knives to be sure are instruments fit to be trusted in every hand! they pursuehealingmeasures! they never commitmurder!
The writer was pleased to confine himself to what I said of the Hottentot women, because the heat of their climate was adapted to his purpose. I mentioned likewise “the wilds of America,” and the kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland. I fancy those countries are cold enough in winter.
He has quoted the practice of the Athenians as an example for our women. ThoughHeathen virtuesare great reproacheson Christian vices(I should have said, on the vices of people who are onlyChristians in name, by outwardly professing what their lives are daily contradicting) yet I should imagineno Heathen impuritiesought to be admitted patterns against Christian virtues.—Our surgeons are better anatomists than the Athenians were; but I am afraid the Athenian men were better Christians, though they lived before the birth of our Saviour.
“But the women of qualitydo so fall in lovewith their Doctors.”—I beg he will excuse me,—Ineversupposed theyfell in lovewiththeir male inspector.The sensationswhichMen-midwivesgive rise to,deserve notthe name which distinguishesthatnoblepassionof the soul.—Love, allies us to our Divine Original, elevates our ideas to Heaven, and makes us emulous of worthy actions! It’s signification isscandalously perverted, when used to describethe impuregratifications of sense, which degrade usbelow the brutes!—Love, andVirtue, areinseparable. Love never inspires the human heart, but whenthat heart is in pursuit of virtue; whenviciouspurposespollutethe mind,it’s endislust.
“Has there ever been related an instance of so unnatural a connexion?”Manywhereit has been attempted—severalwhere it hassucceeded. Any person may buy the trial of Doctor Morley, where they will see that he wasconvicted, andfined a thousand pounds, for seducing Mrs. Biker. The poor woman accused the Doctor on herdeath-bed, and told the whole transaction. The Doctor pleaded to his friends “the strength of the temptation, the frailty of nature; and the impossibility of any man’sresisting such powerful charms.” He quitted his business;the ladies, however,approved his conduct,—itrecommendedhimto their favour, andhe was more employed than ever! Doctor ⸺ was forced to feign madness to escape the rage of an injured husband, for having frightened his wife to death! She happened to bea virtuous, thoughnotamodest, woman!—CountStruenzytoo was a Man-midwife.—Would he ever have dared to lift his eye, or breathe his infamous passion to a ⸺, if he had not been encouraged andfamiliarizedby the freedoms admitted by the profession of a Man-midwife? Certainly no. Whoever reads the news-papers of three years back, will find many paragraphs informing us of prosecutions of Men-midwives for crim. con.
“A manneverseen by thembut in their distress, is sure most unlikely to become an objectof their desire; nor can the ladies, however lovely in the bloom of health, be supposedcapable of retainingtheir attractionsin the hour of agony.”—The writer knows that neither of these assertions are matters of fact. In regard to the first,many womensee their Men-midwivesin perfect health, to be informed if they are with child? How far gone?“Whether the child lies right?” and on many otherpretences.—Men and women, onsuch tryingoccasions,must give way tonature—there is no possibility of withstanding it.—As to women’snotbeing “attractingly lovelywhen in labour,”—there he likewise must have been sensible that he erred from truth. Those painsrather addto beauty; and though,during the continuance of racking tortures, neitherparty can attend to any thing but the pains felt on one side, and the compassion which a good man must sympathize in on the other; yetin the intervals(many therealwaysare, andgenerallythey arelong intervals)no uneasiness on either sideleaves the mindsof bothat liberty to entertainotherideas.
“And if he” (the Man-midwife) “is at all to answer for their conduct, is, I think, only to be reckoned withfor recovering themso early, andso putting it in their power togo abroadandcoquet itthe sooner.”—The author is pleased to befacetious with the ladies! I do not at all wonder thatthose menwho havesuch foundationfor censuring their conduct,presume thusto ridicule them for their eagerness to visit, in order toreceive the homageof theircriminal admirers! I should have thought, however, that the subject was not of a nature which could authorize such indecent raillery. It verifies the old proverb, “too much familiarity breeds contempt.”
As to the assertion, that “the faculty employ men to their own wives”—I knowvery many instances to the contrary—and evenif this was otherwise, it would be by no means conclusive. Men who havesuch choiceof fine womento take the most licentious libertieswith, most probably cannot remain long faithful to their own wives—they may therefore easily be supposed soon to become so indifferent about them, as to be very ready to suffer their own brethren to lay them,by way ofkeeping up the farce, andblinding the world. I take for granted however they permitno private examinations. They are too much in the secret.
The gentleman concludes with telling us a story of Dr. Ford’s having attended a poor woman for three days and nights, who had been ill used by a woman.⸺What then?—It only proves that Dr. Fordis not destitute of humanity, andthat there isonewomanwho interfered with nature, andof course did mischief.—I know he “is a favourite with many women of distinction”—butthose ladiesbestknowhowhe has recommended himself to their favour. Neither Dr. Ford, nor Dr. Hunter, can presume to affirm, that they never take the most intimate freedoms with ladies, when there is no chance for labour.⸺Indeed, the ladies make no secret of it—they now can submit to those examinations on the morning of an assembly, tell their company of it at dinner, and go to a tavern to supper!
And now, Mr. Printer, allow meto take my leave of you, and the public on this theme.—The unprejudiced will be convinced—at least it was this flattering, this most pleasing hope, that stimulated me to write on this subject.—I can have no sinister views—the conduct of the world will not interfere with my happiness—for I never will marry any woman, unless I know her sentiments correspond with mine. The public are now in possession of all I can think on the subject—The good sense of the people of England will decide how far my hints may conduce to their domestichappiness.—I leaveto other pensto proceed on it,in answer to any writer who may enter the lists against me. Whoever wishes to know my sentiments may review these three letters. I should be an hypocrite, if I attempted to conceal, that, as I took up my penfor the benefit of the community, so I shall bemost highly gratified, if I hereafter find my time has been employed to purpose, inopening the eyes of the thoughtless,informing the ignorant, andwarning the virtuous. I despair of shaming the immodest!
While I live, I shall thinkno woman modestwho employs
A MAN-MIDWIFE.
[4]I take for granted, Old Chiron is a Man-midwife.
[4]I take for granted, Old Chiron is a Man-midwife.
[4]I take for granted, Old Chiron is a Man-midwife.