"Laying pit and boxes together"

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>Philip Thicknesse
>Man-Midwifery Analysed: and the Tenency of that Practice Detected and Exposed
>1764
>London: R. Davis
>
>The dangerous consequnces [sic; as sent to me] of iron instruments,
>almost constantly used by men midwives, and which often destroy the
>life of the child or mother, or both, and the certainty of rendering
>the woman's person less agreeable, and often loathsome to her
>husband, ought to have great weight with women and their husbands
>also, provided the matter of delicacy, decency and modesty, was out
>of the question: and yet it is no uncommon thing to hear (p. 10) a
>male midwife practitioner call the greatest calamity and misfortune
>that can befall a woman, by the ludicrous epithet of Laying Pit and
>Boxes together.

"Laying pit and boxes together" is apparently a metaphor taken from
the theater (probably somebody already pointed this out). It seems
that admission to the boxes was more expensive than admission to the
pit; but if a large audience was expected the distinction between the
pit and the boxes could be abolished, with the pit admission price
essentially raised to that of the boxes (a good thing for the
ticket-seller). I suppose (although I don't know for sure after my
very brief Google) that some sort of physical barrier between the pit
and the adjacent boxes was (at least sometimes) removed in this case,
hence the metaphoric usage.

The obstetrical misfortune is equivalent to what would be called a
third-/fourth-degree tear in modern times, I think. It's not clear to
me whether the above quotation refers to an 'accident' made more
likely by careless or overly aggressive delivery technique or whether
it refers to a deliberate procedure.

As for the occurrence in association with copulation, it doesn't seem
likely, but possibly it was _thought_ or _claimed_ to occur?

I deny any expertise.

-- Doug Wilson


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