A treatise on the diseases of females / by William P. Dewees.

  • Dewees, William P. (William Potts), 1768-1841.
Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the diseases of females / by William P. Dewees. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    it may be attenuated, as in some inflammatory diseases: and it will, from this imperfect elaboration, be thrown into the cavity of the uterus, without being dispossessed of the power of sepa- ration, and of coagulation. It is poured into the uterus in a very gradual manner; and from this circumstance, may tarry there sufficiently long to se- parate into its constituent parts: for it now resembles common blood; the coloured part, or red globules, from their greater weight, will leave the imperfectly subdued coagulating lymph, and fall to the bottom of the uterus, and, sooner or later, be dis- charged ; while the coagulating lymph, either in part or altoge- ther, will be left to spread itself over the internal face of the uterus, and there quickly assume, as is usual with it when in contact with living parts, the appearance of a membrane.* This membrane will be, to all intents and purposes, an extraneous sub- stance to the uterus; and will sooner or later urge it to repeated contractions, to throw it off; which contractions will be painful, like those of labour: hence, the pain in this kind of menstrua- tion. Dr. Eberle considers this explanation as contrary to sound pa- thological principles, and to the import of the essential pheno- mena of dysmenorrhcea, and proves this by ringing the changes upon the word impaired. Now, this word, as connected with the other portions of the text, does not mean weakened, but merely altered, or changed; and if this explanation of its mean- ing be accepted, Dr. E's. objection to the pathology offered, is not perhaps so irreconcilable as he appears to think. Besides, we must again accuse the Doctor of reading carelessly, or else of wresting the meaning of our words. He adds, that Analogy also affords us good grounds for this opinion; (namely, that in dysmenorrhcea, the uterine system approaches to a state of in- flammation.) Lymph is never thrown out so as to form mem- branous concretions, except from inflamed, or highly irritated sur- es. • Morgagni explains the production of tiie membranes formed in the case he relates, differently, but perhaps not more satisfactorily. He says, It was easy to conceive, that the viscid particles of the serum of the blood, issuing from the uterine orifices of the vessels, which had formerly been discharged in the form of a fluor albus, were now become more viscid, and adhered to all the internal parietes of the uterus, and by tins means were concreted into a polypous mem- brane.—Kpist. xlviii. art. 12.