Sentence:  Childbirth seldom was difficult, but when it was the simple process of "<WSD>quilling</WSD>" (which consisted in blowing at just the right time tobacco powder through the quill into the nostril) always brought on a huge sneeze, which immediately delivered the child. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The practice of blowing pepper or snuff through a quill into the nose of a woman who is giving birth, to induce sneezing and diaphragmatic contractions which will induce or hasten labor.