Page:Bills of Mortality.pdf/17

 yet, on comparing the two Bills given, it will be seen that very few changes were made during the period covered by the Bills. Much was left to the discretion of the searchers. "Aged" and "infant" for instance, had no ﬁxed limit in years, but depended upon the opinion of the "ancient matron"; a chrisome, however, was a child under the age of one month.

Some of the affections cannot now be identiﬁed with certainty, and they even puzzled contemporary writers. Graunt, for instance, says: "There eems alo to be another new Dieae called by our Bills The Stopping of the Stomach, firt mentioned in the year 1636, the which Malady, from that year to 1647, increaed but from 6 to 29; Anno 1655 it came to 145. In 57 to 277. In 60 to 314. Now thee proportions far exceeding the difference of proportions generally ariing from the increae of inhabitants, and from the report of Advenæ to the City hews there is ome new Dieae which appeareth to the Vulgar as Stopping of the Stomach. Hereupon I apprehended that this Stopping might be the Green-ickness, foramuch as I find few or none to have been returned upon that account, although many be viibly tained with it. Now, whether the ame be forborn out of hame I know not: For ince the World believes that Marriage cures it, it may eem indeed a hame that any Maid hould dye uncured when there are more Males than Females, that is an overplus of Husbands to all that can be Wives. In the next place I conjectured that this Stopping of the Stomach might be the Mother, forasmuch as I have heard of many troubled with Mother-fits (as they call them), although few returned to have died from them; which conjecture, if it be true, we may then afely ay, that the Mother-fits have alo increaed. But I was omewhat taken off from thinking this Stopping of the Stomach to be the Mother, becaue I gheed rather the Riing of the Lights might be it. For I remembered that ome Women troubled with the Mother-fits did complain of a choaking in their throats." In the end he is obliged to leave the question to be fought out by the physicians, having, however, provided us with a vivid picture of the confusion and uncertainty which existed.

"Mother" is given by Murray and other lexicographcrs as an hysterical malady, accompanied by feelings of suffocation. Mair