Citations:quill

blow pepper into a woman's nose with a quill, to hasten labor (in Appalachia, Great Plains

• 1898, New Charlotte Medical Journal, volumes 12-13, page 406:

  Whereupon he asked the attending physician if he had quilled her. [...] Then cutting about two inches from the feather he requested them to bring some red pepper which he introduced in the little tube which he had made and quickly blew it up [her nose].

• 1999, M. O'Brien, Calling the Prairies home: origins, attitudes, quirks & ..., page 82:

  "I think we will have to quill her," the midwife suggested. [...] She extracted a long quill, cleaned it, cut off both ends, and dipped one end into a package of cayenne pepper.

• 2015, Mary Willan Mason, The Hivernante: Marie Anne Lajimoniere, the White Mother ... →ISBN

  "We'll have to quill her." [... She] bit off each end of the quill and inserted a little black pepper she had got from the trading post. [...] Amie took the quill from her and gently inserted the pepper-laden end up Marie Anne's nostril.