George Cruikshank, click for full size.
The Gin Shop, George Cruikshank, Etching coloured, 1829. Subject: Alcohol, Gin, Drunkenness, Mother’s Ruin, Children, Child Care.
The GIN Shop –
—”Now oh dear, how shocking the thought is They makes the gin from aquafortis:
They do it on purpose folks lives to shorten And tickets it up at two-pence a quartern.”
New Ballad.
You can read more about the Gin Craze here.
An interesting piece, addressing what was a great controversy, with people hotly on one side or another, as male physicians encroached on the world of childbirth. Additional information and sources under the image. Click for full size.
A Man Mid-Wife, Isaac Cruikshank, Etching coloured, 1793. Subject: John Blunt (pseud. S.W. Fores), Midwives, Surgical Instruments, Forceps.
The text reads:
“A Man-Mid-Wife, or a newly discover’d animal, not Known in Buffon’s time; for a more full description or this monster, see, an ingenious book, lately published, price 3/6 entitled Man-Midwifery dissected, containing a variety of well-authenticated cases elucidating this animals Propensities to cruelty & indecency sold by the publisher of this Print who has presented the author with the above [illustration] for the Frontispiece to his Book.”
From the same source:
Summary
This etching illustrated a book criticizing (male) physician birth attendants–“man midwives”–today’s obstetricians. The etching shows a figure that is male on one side, female on the other. The male half stands on a plain wood floor next to a large mortar and pestle, holding an instrument labeled a “lever” in his hand, which is pressed against his thigh. The background seems to be a shop, with shelves lined with vials, bottles, and frightening looking instruments labeled “forceps,” “boring scissors,” and “blunt book.”
In contrast, the female half of the figure stands in a homey room on a decoratively carpeted floor; in her outstretched hand she holds a small cup. Behind her, a fire burns in a grate.
You can read a fair amount of what was written in the 18th century by people on both the pro- and anti- sides here.
Historian Ruby has an excellent rundown of the great controversy, where once again we encounter the scandal of Mary Toft in this excerpt:
Hugh Chamberlen, as well as being a physician, was also a speculative businessman, and when his proposed business dealings failed, his creditors forced him to flee abroad. With his credibility damaged, he was lampooned in verse in 1699 in Hue and Cry After a Man-Midwife, Who has Lately Deliver’d the Land-Bank of their Money. It was noted that ‘great belly’d ladies have mighty respect for’ the man-midwife, demonstrating that the fashion for men-midwives commenced in the seventeenth century and was not just an eighteenth century phenomenon. The verse also alluded to the outrage that was displayed in some quarters by opponents of men-midwives, ‘Among his profession he’s fam’d as a topper, By some call’d a midwife, by others a groper,’ hinting at sexual improprieties that the man-midwife could commit once alone with vulnerable females.
Public suspicion of the medical profession ran deep in the eighteenth century, in part due to the non-secular society believing that decaying bodies tainted the men who practiced medicine, but also, medicine was considered the least prestigious of the professions and the physicians’ failure to cure illness and stave off death impacted the public’s perception of them. The man-midwifery profession was further disparaged after several eminent London men-midwives supported Mary Tofts, who in the 1720s claimed to have given birth to a litter of rabbits. The absurdity of their support of Tofts in her fraudulent claim led to professional ridicule. Not only were the men of the medical profession considered asinine for agreeing with Tofts’ wild claims, there was a growing suspicion of the practitioner as a ‘corrupter of morals, a threat to female modesty and even as a libertine.’
Blunt’s book, Man-midwifery dissected ; or, the obstetric family-instructor : In fourteen letters, is available to read at the Internet Archive. You can also see the above image properly coloured as the frontispiece of the book.
For a list of good reading having to do with mental and emotional health, head over to Rumpus. I’m not big on special days or months, they rarely penetrate most people’s skulls, but this is a timely reminder to be more mindful to others. In that vein, I’ll leave you with this video by The Amity Affliction. It’s harsh, but it’s a damn good reminder to make every effort not to be an oblivious ass. (Added the follow up song.)
The Amity Affliction -All Fucked Up.
The Amity Affliction – I Bring the Weather With Me. (Lyrics below the fold.)
The first one is mild enough, the second below the fold. Interestingly enough, the explicit one is from the 1500s. Click for full size.
Love In A Tub or A Cure for a Cold, Thomas Rowlandson, Etching, 1802. Subject: Foot Baths, Sexual Behaviour, Coryza.
All from George Cruikshank, Click for full size! (Most below the fold.)
Blue Devils, George Cruikshank, Etching. Subject: Depression, Suicide, Devils & Demons.
That ^ is what I got instead of surgery, for Six. Weeks. In case you missed it, after chemo on Wednesday (16th), a couple of hours later, my colostomy prolapsed. These are the basics of a prolapse, and no worries, no pics.
A prolapse is much more psychologically damaging than physical. This is not at all uncommon in colostomy or ileostomy, but no one prepares you for the possibility either, which is why you end up so damn shocked, and dealing with all the mental and emotional fallout. It would be most helpful if medical would prepare for this possibility, and yes, I know there’s no desire to alarm people, but that’s a bullshit excuse in this case. Being forewarned, just in case, would go a long way in making a prolapse less traumatic.
First thing: When Prolapse Happens: DON’T PANIC.
*:Graphic descriptors begin: When the pain reached a point where I lifted up my shirt in the car to see what was going on, I saw six very fat inches of my colon protruding, completely filling the bag, and rather than the bright pink/red she should have been, Grimhild was a faded pink, with sections so faded they were white. It was with absolute shock I was staring down, and then saw that shock mirrored in Rick’s face. Fighting panic, I choked out “can’t go home, ER.” Rick was doing his white knuckled best to not speed; fortunately, we weren’t far from the hospital. After waiting too long inside a triage room the size of a fucking closet, with tears running down my face, and trying like hell to breathe when my muscles completely seized (this was almost exactly like it was post-op, in recovery after the colostomy surgery, which was freaking me out), when a nurse finally came in. She got vitals, and info, and I got that all too rare experience of seeing shock on a nurse’s face upon seeing the prolapse. I was hurriedly taken into a room. The doctor was in quickly, and they were one I had seen before, which was a comfort. I was all hooked up to every fucking thing, then the doc started poking about. I couldn’t see what was going on, but Rick was watching like a hawk*, and the doctor was doing a form of massage, working the gut back in. Grimhild wouldn’t recede past around 2 inches, but that was normal enough. I was then sent for a CT scan, which revealed no blockage, but a parastomal hernia. It’s likely I would not have surgery at all if it was just a prolapse, but the hernia will require surgery. *Rick turned out be to be very skilled at doing this massage later at home, and teaching me how to do it. *:Graphic descriptors end:.
Most people with a colostomy or ilieostomy have minor protrusions now and then, generally during a movement, as that is the natural function of your gut, to be moving things along. Generally speaking, any abdominal pain associated with an ostomy is when a protrusion happens. If you note your abdominal pain increasing, check your ostomy- if there’s more protrusion than normal, the colour, and place your hand over to check for the normal warmth. If any of that changes (lengthier protrusion, faded colour, especially if it goes gray, and cold rather than warmth), get yourself to a doctor, stat. Don’t wait to see if it gets worse. Better to get it checked and not have anything to worry about.
If you’re like me, and this just comes out of the blue, and you’re faced with something which sends you into shock, get your arse to an ER immediately. If it’s taking too long to see you, start screaming. That won’t be difficult. If this never happens to you at all, that’s a great and grand thing. That said, it’s best to know this is a possibility, and to be prepared for it. It’s quite scary to see, especially if you are utterly clueless as to what’s happening. If you know this might happen, you’ll be much calmer. This is easily treatable, and in most cases not a surgical emergency, so you don’t need to worry needlessly about that, either. Most of the time, the gut is easily and gently massaged back in. In some cases, where’s there is an excess of fluid, you might note your doctor calling for sugar – don’t have an attack. This is a semi-standard trick to get a stubborn prolapse to retreat. Sugar is sprinkled on it, which absorbs the fluid, allowing the gut to retract. I do not recommend doing this at home, leave that to a doctor. This isn’t something you want to fuck up, and end up making things worse.
If you have a positional prolapse, where your ostomy is likely to start slithering out upon standing, walking, or other positions, you can easily cope with this at home. Lie down, and gently cup your ostomy through the bag, while gently pressing in and down, massaging her back in. You’ll most likely notice retraction beginning as soon as you lie down. When you get the retraction accomplished, when you get back up, keep your hand in place over your ostomy, then get a binder, belt, pants, whatever, placed over your ostomy, and carefully go about your business. It will take more than a bit of experimentation to discover just what does work for you when it comes to keeping your ostomy in place.
I did have a an abdominal binder order placed, went and got fitted (more or less), and wore it for a while on Wednesday, when we went out to eat, and on the way home. The binders aren’t exactly made for smaller type people, and really not for seriously skinny people. Mine is much too wide – it goes over my hip bones, and impinges on my breasts, so not overly comfortable to wear. It’s also very tight, which is to be expected. One worrying thing is that while eating, I could feel Grimhild trying to move, which is natural when trying to expel something, gas or more solid. The binder was preventing this, and that you don’t want. I’m not altogether sure just how much this would prevent a prolapse, either. So, at this point, I’ll save the binder for when I’m going to be quite active and out and about walking. When I’m sitting at my desk, and Grimhild is fresh from an active massage retraction, I’ve found that moving my chair right up to the desk edge, then placing a firm pillow between it and Grimhild, is sufficient to keeping her in place, while allowing for gas and other passage. Some people make do with large ace bandages, or find that a hernia or ostomy belt is more efficient; some people find that pants which cross the ostomy with a good pressure to be workable. It’s a matter of finding what will work best for you. If you use a latch or two part bag system, you might find it much more helpful to switch to a one piece, as the latch and two piece systems can cause injuries to the ostomy in cases of prolapse. While these injuries, usually lacerations, don’t cause any pain, they might lead to infection, which you do not need.
You absolutely must check the colour and warmth of your ostomy every single day, and it’s a good idea to do it more than once a day. Any changes whatsoever, get to that doctor. You’ll also need to monitor your overall temperature every day, and be good about it, because an infection is more likely in prolapse. If you head over 99, get to that doctor.
As always, as I remember all the stuff I forgot, I’ll edit to add at some point.
ETA: It now occurs to me that I was helping to move furniture a couple of weeks before this happened. In retrospect, that was a very stupid thing to do. Don’t be moving furniture.
There will be much of George Cruikshank, caricaturist and printmaker coming up, but I felt this one deserved to be on its own, given the sheer amount of very weird detail. There seems to be an implication of witchery and/or paganism here. Interestingly, this one was one of the ones designed by Frederick Marryat, a British naval officer, and author. It’s interesting to note that In 1839, Marryat also published his Diary in America, a travelogue that reflects his criticisms of American culture and society. The book and the author were both subject to acts of violence, including the burning of the book and of Marryat’s effigy in public. It can be read for free at the link provided; I note that the e-books are also available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
There’s an astonishing amount of detail here. Note the painting hanging on the wall – an assault in progress. That earns a WTF? Then the Goddess detail on the mantel, with the dogs. Peacock feathers on the mantel, too. They were associated with witches, particularly those with healing arts. Then there’s the cat and dog, and screaming parrot, with the mouse in between. And what appears to be a Buddha on the mantel, and so. much. more. Click for full size!
Chemo went fine, but a couple hours later (thankfully, we were binging at Goodwill and still in town) my abdominal pain went crazed, took a look to see Grimhild making a serious break for it, over 6 inches of my colon was protruding, so off to emergency. The doc managed to massage Grim mostly back in, sent for a CT scan, which showed no blockage, but I have a colostomy prolapse, and a parasternal hernia, along with chronic anemia. So, surgery tomorrow, and I have to be flat on my back, so no blogging. I shouldn’t be doing this right now. This is all the info I have right now, figure I’ll be missing for two to three days at the least. Oh, and trust me – you do not want to see a pic, you’d run screaming into the night. It looks like a zombie got a hold of me.
I’m so sorry, I’ll be back as soon as possible. Voyager & Charly, the blog is yours, have fun!
ETA: There’s a lengthier follow up here: CC Notes: When Prolapse Happens.
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The last of Louis-Léopold Boilly for now. The second month and the ninth month of pregnancy.
Still with Louis-Léopold Boilly. I know La Luxure is supposed to be creepy, but Boilly outdid himself there. :shudder: But I do love Le Lunettes. All images, click for full size.
Louis-Léopold Boilly, Les Mangeurs d’Huitres (aphrodisiacs), Lithograph, 1825.
Louis-Léopold Boilly, La Luxure (Lechery), Lithograph, 1824.
Louis-Léopold Boilly, Le Magnetisme (Hypnotism), Lithograph, 1826.
Louis-Léopold Boilly, Les Lunettes (Eyeglasses), Lithograph, undated.
Still with Louis-Léopold Boilly. Click for full size!
Les Sangsues, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Lithograph,1827.
La Gourmandise, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Lithograph,1824.
La Felicité Parfaite, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Lithograph.
Les Ivrognes, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Lithograph, 1828.
I’ll be indulging in a highlight of Louis-Léopold Boilly the next day or three. Boilly was an incredibly talented artist, with an extraordinary gift for portraiture. Looking at his paintings, you get a strong sense that you should not be staring in the window, looking at these people, because there is a profound intimacy in his paintings. The Geography Lesson (Portrait of Monsieur Gaudry and His Daughter) is a good example of this intimacy. I also think his portrait of Robespierre is the absolute best. Boilly was a prolific painter, producing a great many small portraits as well as full scale paintings. When it comes to Les Grimaces, I like Les Grimaces 3 best. I think. All images, click for full size!
Consultation de Medecins. 1760, Lithograph, Louis-Léopold Boilly.
Les Grimaces 1, Louis-Léopold Boilly, 1823.
Les Grimaces 3, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Lithograph, 1823.
Les Grimaces 8, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Lithograph, 1823.
A new series! The Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library has an absolutely astonishing collection of old prints and drawings, all to do with medical matters. There are exquisite anatomical drawings, drawings of hospitals, and the like, but I won’t be posting those. There are wonderfully satirical prints, interesting characters, and depictions of certain maladies, etc., of which, many tickle my fancy. We’ll start with Mary Tofts, who drew a great deal of attention, from on high to low in her day, for giving birth to rabbits. (All images, click for full size.)
Mary Tofts of Godelman the pretended Rabbit Breeder, mezzotint, John Laguerre, c. 1726.
Moving on to…head stones! :D
![Loopt loopt met groot... [Operation for Stones in the Head], Laid, Claes (Nicolas) Jansz Weydtmans.](https://i2.wp.com/freethoughtblogs.com/affinity/files/2018/05/HeadStones.jpg?ssl=1)
Loopt loopt met groot… [Operation for Stones in the Head], Laid, Claes (Nicolas) Jansz Weydtmans.
Finally, we have a scary look at Elephantiasis, [Warning: A very graphic photo at that link.] a most dread disease back in the day. Note that the woman depicted has 6 toes on each foot.
Woman with Elephantiasis, Laid, Anonymous, Italian, 18th Century.
Commentary
This etching was made in 1793, at a time when middle-and upper-middle class English women were being attended by physicians rather than midwives at the births of their children. Midwives were left to attend the beds of birthing women too poor to afford the services of physicians.
At the time, however, criticism was leveled at physicians who chose to demean themselves by doing “women’s work,” with some suggestion that their only motivations must be prurient ones. (This latter accusation is hinted at by one of the bottles on the shelves of the man half of the man-midwife; it is labeled “love water.”).
Today, while few would accuse male ob-gyns of perversion (although male medical students who choose this specialty probably still raise eyebrows in some corners), questions about the proper place, methods, and attendants at childbirth still are debated. Only in the past three decades, for example, has the presence of fathers at childbirth been considered proper, and we still argue about home vs. hospital births, the use of midwives, training for midwives, and the place of technology and medication in normal births.