Outlines of the diseases of women / by John Phillips.

  • Phillips, John.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of the diseases of women / by John Phillips. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    162/332 (page 142)
    preferably in the afternoon; open air exercise with as little fatigue as possible is essential. The chief pathological condition to treat is the venous or passive congestion ; as the uterus is often slightly prolapsed and retroverted, a rubber ring pessary will be sufficient to raise it up and relieve the stretching and dragging of the various uterine ligaments (Fig. 68). Hot vaginal douches (temp. iio°-i2oc F.) twice daily should be given, and if the patient can bear it, a cold bath in the morning followed by vigorous towelling. Ergot in the form of the liquid extract in ^ss doses twice daily and combined with hydrastis canadensis, prescribed thus: R Extr. Ergot, liq 5ss Extr. Hydrast. Can. ..... 3ss Aquam gss A tablespoonful thrice daily. or ergotine pills (gr. ij) should be given three times daily ; iodide of potash in gr. v doses is sometimes of value, possibly from its absorptive power; the bowels should be well opened by a saline purgative such as Hunyadi Janos, sulphate of magnesia, or decoction of aloes (53). These are cases in which the bath treatment is often of so much avail, and if the patient's means allow of it, a visit to Kreuznach, Schwalbach or Ems in Germany, or the Woodhall Spa in England, is always accompanied by great and often permanent benefit. In cases where the passive congestion is more due to the adhesions of para- and perimetritis, treatment should rather be directed to these conditions {vide p. 187). If in spite of the above courses of treatment the symptoms, especially haemorrhage or the presence of offensive discharge, go on and the patient's general health is suffering, an examination of the interior of the uterus is necessary: dilatation of the cervix should be performed by means of Hegar's dilators, and any placental remains or polypi removed; should any endometritis be present, deep scraping with a sharp flushing curette should be performed (vide p. 90). These operations must, it is needless to say, be done only with the strictest attention to antiseptic details. (ii.) Super-involution of the Uterus. This is a rare condition brought about by excessive involution after delivery, hence the name post-partum atrophy sometimes given to it. The uterus is reduced in size beyond the normal, so that it may measure externally as little as 2 inches, while the