Seventeenth century fertility cures

The London auctioneers, Sotheby's are selling a seventeenth century health guide which lists some unusual alternative fertility treatments.

The book, called The Ladies Companion or The English Midwife, suggests a number of rather unappealing remedies for fertility problems. Apparently mixing some hare's spittle into your wine will help you get pregnant, or alternatively you could always try eating a hare's womb. I must admit I don't know why hares were particularly linked with fertility, but there are some hare-free remedies - another method is to dry a new-born boy's "navill string" (or umbilical cord), grind it up into a powder and drink it with wine.

The book was written by a physician, William Sermon, and published in 1671. It claims to explain how women ought to "govern themselves during the whole time of their breeding children". Sotheby's are selling it next month at auction, where it is expected to fetch as much as two thousand pounds. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I'd advise reading The Complete Guide to Female Fertility instead!