An essay on hysteria : being an analysis of its irregular and aggravated forms ; including hysterical hemorrhage, and hysterical ischuria / by Thomas Laycock.

  • Laycock, Thomas, 1812-1876.
Date:
1840
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on hysteria : being an analysis of its irregular and aggravated forms ; including hysterical hemorrhage, and hysterical ischuria / by Thomas Laycock. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    AN ESSAY ON HYSTERIA. V CHAPTER I. A selection of cases presenting aggravated and irregular forms of hysteria, Analysis of the phenomena—Hysterical ischuria—Erratic discharge of urine, sometimes with well-marked hysteric paroxysms ; sometimes with various anomalous symptoms, particularly, paralysis. The aggravated forms of hysteria always present matter for cu- rious speculation. The most prominent symptoms in such cases are usually those which indicate direct derangement of the func- tions of the nervous system. Sanguineous discharges, and, more rarely, vomiting of a urinous fluid with suppression of the renal secretion, have also been noticed as striking symptoms. Two cases resembling the latter class have occurred in the York County Hos- pital; and I atn induced to publish as condensed a history of them as possible, not only on account of their singularity, but because of their remarkable resemblance both to each other and to several cases detailed by various authors. An analysis of the most authen- tic of these I have subjoined. 1. IT. O., a female, about Hi years, was admitted into the York County Hospital, under the care of Dr. Bclcombc, on the 7th of October, 1830, for symptoms of diseased spine. She was of low stature, had a plump face, rather florid complexion, blue eyes, round, well-developed arms and legs, and large mamma:; the nipples also a little enlarged, wilh dark brown areola;. She complained of sleeplessness, pain in the head, dimness of sight, (for which she wore semi-convex glasses,) loss of muscular power, so that she was unable to walk,- pain and oedema of the inferior extremities, and pain and tenderness in the back, which presented, in the inferior dorsal region, scars, as of old issues. She had a con- stant short cough, as if caused by irritation in the pharynx, with an expectoration of a whitish, frothy fluid in small quantities. The pulse was slightly quickened, the skin natural. She had also loss of appetite, and pain in the right hypochondrium. The abdomen was knotty, much enlarged, tympanitic, and very painful on the slightest touch. The navel formed a cul-de-sac, about an inch in depth, the bottom of which could be seen with difficulty. There was discharged from it a fluid,'which tinged the linen of a light red colour, and deposited upon it a small, florid-red coagulum. A simi-