ABSTRACT
In 1603 Edward Jorden, a doctor, published a tract entitled A Briefe Discourse of a Disease called the Suffocation of the Mother. He dedicated it to the President and Fellows of the College of Physicians in London. The purpose of the tract was to dispel various myths surrounding the disease known as “the mother” and to place its treatment on a scientific footing. Consequently, the body of the tract is devoted to discussing the womb, why it becomes stopped with superfluous matter, and how it can be regulated. Those who suffer from the mother, particularly young girls and widows, are enjoined to avoid sweet savors, pleasant meats, too much rest, and mental perturbation, especially lovesick thoughts. Helpfully, Jorden urges that those who do suffer from lovesickness should either be induced to hate their object of affection or to enjoy their desires (Jorden 1603:G4).
