B R E 



^9.i.T.CH-moii/t!ings.. See Mouldings. 



Breech prefeiitat'ion, in AFtJ-wifiry, a fpecies of pre- 

 ternatural or croU birth, uhieb lee; iiivvhicli the nates ot tlie 

 foetus prefent to the uterine oritice, at the commencement of 

 labour, inltead of the head. 



When on tlie burfting of the membranes, the part of tlie 

 foetus about to enter the os uteri feels loft, and of a globular 

 figure, the accoucheur will generally be riglit in pronouueing, 

 that it is the breech'tf the cliild that prtfents ; parlicularly, 

 if during the pains, the meconium, or fccccs of the child are 

 forced away. 



Though both nates may be perceived prefenting, when the 

 child enters the pelvis of the motlier, yet one of them always 

 comes down, through that pafhige, before the other, and in 

 that manner conies into the world. 



When the pelvis ol the mother is of l!ie ufi;nl form and 

 dimenfions, and the child is not dilproportionably large, tliis 

 fpecies of labour requires very little more attention, on liie 

 part of the afilllant, and ufuaily terminates, iqoaliv fafelv 

 to the mjther and child, though not fo fpeedily,as a natural 

 labour. 



When, on account of the difproportion between the bulk of 

 the child, and the pelvis of the mother, or through the 

 rigidity of the foft parts of the mother, the breech of the 

 child is very much preffed, and llraightened in its palfagc, 

 the fcrotum, if it be a male, will be much fwellcd, and black. 

 This blacknels and fwtUing, however, uludlly foon lublide, or 

 they may be difperfed, by fomenting thepart with warm water, 

 applying afterwards, fome elder, or other cooling ointment. 



In this kind of labour no manual alliliance will be necef- 

 fary in ordinary cafes, until the breech of the child is thrulf 

 down fo low by the pains, as to prefs upon the external 

 orifice. The accoucheur may then pals a finger up the 

 vagina, and round the groin ot the child, and afful in draw- 

 ing it down, during each pain. This will contribute much 

 towards facilitating and expediting the birth of the part. Or 

 if, on account of the difproportion between the fize of the 

 child, and the capacity of the pelvis of the mother, the 

 breech of the child fliould not defcend fo low as to enable 

 the accoucheur to affili with his finger, a blunt hook may be 

 palled round the groin, and ufed in the fam.e manner. This 

 will give a better purchafe, and enable him to exert much 

 more force than he could ufe with his finger; but great caution 

 is neccfl'ary in extracting in this way, lell the head of the 

 tliigh bone of tile child be broke oif with the inltrument. 

 To prevent this accident, it will be neceilhry that the ac- 

 c-oucheur keep two or three of his fingers pieffed (Irongly 

 again!! the thigh, on the fide the inilrument is applied, keep- 

 ing the thigh clofe to the body of the child. 



When, by either of thefe means, the breech of the child is 

 delivered, the accoucheur mu'l attend to the pofition of the 

 child, and if its belly be placed oppofite to the pubes of the 

 mother, he muil turn it round to the fncrum, and then 

 complete the delivery in the manner directed under the article, 

 Labour Prelernaliiral. 



If flooding or convulfion fliould come on, during a labour 

 of this knid, before the breech of the child lias entered, or 

 made much progreis in the pelvis, the accouclieur muil pais 

 his hand llowly and gradually up into the uterus, uctil he 

 reaches, and ean take a firm hold of one or bot!) the feet of 

 the child, which he mull bring down through the vagina, 

 withdrawing his hand in the fame flow and cautious manner 

 as he had introduced it. SccConvulsions and I'looding 

 during parturition. 



liRF.ECHES,a garment worn by males, reach nig from the 

 girdle to the knees, and fervmg to cover the hi))S, thighs, &c. 



The ancient Romans ijad nothing ni tlieir d:'ci» a;ifwcriug 



B R E 



to our bieecfits and ftoekings ; inflead of wliicli, undertlieir 

 lower tunics and waillcoats, tliey fomctimis bound tlieir 

 thighs and legs round with lilkeii fcarven, or fafcit, called 

 t'tl/ialia MxA J'emorallit. Salmuth. ad Paiiciroll." p. i. i6i. 

 Kennet. Rom. Ant. Not. p. ii. lib. v. cap. 8. Ilrccciies 

 appear to he a habit peculiar to the barbarous nations, efpc- 

 cialiy thofe inhabiting the colder countries of the Norlii ; 

 wlience 'I'acitns calls them Imrhamm legmen. We find nieii- 

 tion made of them among the ancient Getn-, Sarniatx, Oauls, 

 Germans, and Britons ; tlicy alfo obtained among the McJes 

 and I'tifians, as being a people of Scythian origin : they alfo 

 afterivards got footing in Italy, fone pretend as early as the 

 time of Auguftus; but without mucli foundation, tliat em- 

 peror's breeches, mentioned by Suetonius, being apparently- 

 only fwatho tied over his thighs, 'i'dcit. Hill. lib. ii. cap. 

 20. Ptrf. Sat. iii, ver. 51. Ovid. Trill, lib. v. Eleg. \\. 

 Suet, in Augull. cap. 8;j. 



However this be, breeches were at length received into 

 Italy, and grew fo highly into falhion, that it was thought 

 nccelfary, under Honorinsand Arcadius, to reilrain them by- 

 law, and expel the hiiucarii, or breeches-makers, out of the 

 city ; it appearing a thing unworthy, that a nation, which 

 command'-d the world, fliould wear the habit cf barbarians. 

 AVe find frequent mention of Iract, brace,:, or bracchr, iii 

 claific writers, but the form of tliii habit is not agreed on : 

 lume will have it to have been a rough party-coloured coat. 



BREECHING, in Sea Liin^iitif^e, a rope ufed to fecure 

 the gun cl a fhip, and to prevent it from recoiling too much 

 in the time of adtioii. It is thus named, becanfe it is mad- to 

 pafs round the breech of the gun. This rope is fixed by lalleii- 

 mg the middle of it to the liiiidmoll knob, or cafeab'cl of the 

 gun, which, by faiiors, is called the pomiglion, or pummelion ; 

 the two ends of it are afterwards inferted through two 

 llrong rings on the fides of the carnage, and falUned to 

 other bolts in the fides of the ihip. The breeching is of 

 fufficient length to allow the mu/.zleof thegun tocomewilhin 

 the iliip's fide to be charged. 



BREED, in RursI Ecei:oii!y, a term applied to anv par- 

 ticular lort of any kind of domellic animal, wliich is known 

 and dilliiiguilhed from all others by certain cliaracferillic 

 marks, or 111 the technical language of the breeder, points. 

 Thus, in the horfe kind we liave the vnec breed ; the heav^ 

 llacL, cart, or Le'tcifleifuire breed ; the Cleveland Imy, or Tori- 

 Jh'ire breed ; the 6'«/^//■ P iineh breed ; the Clydejdcilt, m Scotch 

 breed ; the I'/elch, or polity breed, &c. And in neat cattle, 

 the long-horned, or ]_,ancafl.nre breed ; the m'iddle-horned, or 

 Dcuonjk'ire breed ; the Jhort horned, Dutch or Holdernejs 

 breed ; the Welch breed ; the SuJ'olh dun bre^d ; the Gailaway, 

 o\- pklhd breed ; the H'lghhuid, or KUoe breed ; the Loivland, 

 ot Fif.jhire breed ; \.\vt Jlderney breed ; the VAld breed, S:c. 

 In the (heep kind, the neiu Leicejler, or Dyhley breed ; the 

 L'lnculnjljire breed ; the I'eefivaler breed ; the Roinney Marjli 

 breed; Vh.t Dartmoor, uv Devai/hire unit breed ; ihc Jixnioor 

 breed ; the Dorfetjhire breed ; the Herefordjh'tre, or Rylanil 

 bretd ; the South Dozvri breed ; the. Xorj'olb breed ; \\\c tiealh 

 breed ; the HerdzLHch breed ; the CL.-viol breed; the Dutifuuil 

 breed ; the Shetland breed ; the JlLrino, or Sf-ani/h breed, &c. 

 In the Iwine kind, there are likewife feveral breeds, as of the 

 large fort, the Beri/J.'ire breed; the Uampjhire breed; the 

 Shropjhlre breed ; the CloMcJhrJhire breed; the HertfordJlArc 

 breed. Sic. and of the Imalhr forts, the Chinefe breed; the 

 <U'hile, ox Jloiieh-eared breed; l\iii prick eared breed ; the 

 fiuing-tailed bned, &c. 



Tlie ditlerem properties and qualities of the various breeds 



of thele dillerent kinds of doinclllc animals, will be fully 



deicribcd and explained when we come to fpiak of the meana 



ol improving live llo'.k. .See Cat i i.b and Livf Sroi.<{, 



Mm-; Mu.h 



