Part of a Letter from Dr. Cyprianus to Dr. Sylvestre, Giving an Account of a Child Born with a Large Wound in the Breast, Supposed to Proceed from the Force of Imagination

V. Part of a Letter from Dr. Cyprianus to Dr. Sylvestre, giving an Account of a Child born with a large Wound in the Breast, supposed to proceed from the force of Imagination. Amongst some other Extraordinary Accidents which have offered themselves to me, since my coming home, there is one, I think, is worth your knowing. It is, that a Lady is brought to bed of a Girl, with a Wound in her Breast above four Fingers long; which obliquely from the top downwards, from the Sternum to the Left side, stretched itself over the whole Breast. Being sent for there, I found not only the Wound outwardly in the Skin, but after a nearer examination I perceived, that it not only penetrated to the Musculi intercostales, but that it was at least an Inch broad, hollow under the Flesh round about the Wound: Besides, that there was a Contusion with a little Swelling (Red and Blew, as is used to be in Contusions) at the lower part of the Wound in the inside. Before I go on farther with this History, first I will tell you, this Lady had an easy and natural Delivery, and that it was a natural birth, and that the Child came into the World without any force, so that consequently it got not this Wound in its Birth, but was occasioned by strength of Imagination, about two Months before the Mother was gone to Bed, by chance she heard a Report, that a Man had murdered his Wife, and with a Knife had given her a great Wound in her Breast, at which Relation she changed, but not excessively. Now my Opinion is, That the Child at that very moment that the Mother was affrighted, received the Wound in its Mothers Body, because that the Wound was very sordid; and the inside as well as the outside beset with Slime, proceeding from the Water wherein the the Child is used to lie in its Mothers Womb, and also very like a Wound received long since. But now which is most worthy of Reflection is, that the Wound after three or four Days Dressing, begining to come to Suppuration and Mundification, began to bleed very fast with Streams when dressed and wiped; and it plainly, in all its Circumstances, was very like a fresh cut Wound; only that the ends of the Cut Vessels were so covered with Slime, that the Circulation could not force the Blood through it. Besides, That the Contusion fore-mentioned, while that the Wound was healing, began too to come to Suppuration, and made a gathering, and drew down the Matter and Blood towards the Back; for the Situation of the Child was such, that the Matter could not ascend to the Wound; out of which Swelling, when it was open'd, Matter and Blood run out in the same manner we used to see in a Contusion made some Days, and that wherein this Wound is most like to a fresh Wound is, that it being simply handled as a new received Wound, it Cured; so that I judged this Wound wholly, even at Birth of the Child in that State (as I suppose it was) at that very moment when the Mother was terrified, except that it was covered with Slime as above-said. To prevent a question, which undoubtedly you will ask, why this Wound, two Months before the Birth in the Mothers Body received did not Putrefie, and the Contusion that was besides that, did not presently come to change into an Abscisse; I will give my Considerations therein, and say, that this Accident remained in the same Condition, because no Air could come to it, and the Child lay all over in its Water, which has a preserving Virtue, insomuch that it excludes the Air; to which, to prove, I could joyn here several Examples. Yours, &c. VI. Ac-