mfort her
patients during labour. She must never be in a hurry, though her
business may call her to some other case, lest she should thereby
endanger the mother or the child.

She ought to be wary, prudent, and intelligent, but above all, she ought
to be possessed by the fear of God, which will give her both "knowledge
and discretion," as the wise man says.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XII

_Further Directions to Midwives, teaching them what they ought to
do, and what to avoid._

Since the duties of a midwife have such a great influence on the
well-doing or the contrary of both women and children, in the first
place, she must be diligent in gaining all such knowledge as may be
useful to her in her practice, and never to think herself so perfect,
but that it may be possible for her to add to her knowledge by study and
experience. She should, however, never try any experiments unless she
has tried them, or knows that they can do no harm; practising them
neither upon rich nor poor, but freely saying what she knows, and never
prescribing any medicines which will procure abortion, even though
requested; for this is wicked in the highest degree, and may be termed
murder. If she be sent for to people whom she does not know, let her be
very cautious before she goes, lest by attending an infectious woman,
she runs the danger of injuring others, as sometimes happens. Neither
must she make her dwelling a receiving-house for big-bellied women to
discharge their load, lest it get her a bad name and she by such means
loses her practice.

In attending on women, if the birth happens to be difficult, she must
not seem to be anxious, but must cheer the woman up and do all she can
to make her labour easy. She will find full directions for this, in the
second part of this book.

She must never think of anything but doing well, seeing that everything
that is required is in readiness, both for the woman and for receiving
the child, and above all, let her keep the woman from becoming unruly
when her pains come on, lest she endanger her own life, and the child's
as well.

She must also take care not to be hurried over her business but wait
God's time for the birth, and she must by no means allow herself to be
upset by fear, even if things should not go well, lest that should make
her incapable of rendering that assistance which the woman in labour
stands in need of, for where there is the most