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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    men ; and makes, by this mcnns, an important provision foi the period of gestation. The capillary system, also appears to he more developed in the female than in the male system. Thus the great aptitude of the syslem of the former, to diseases attend cd with paleness of the skin, oedema, dropsy, and hemorrhagica, and thus involving affections of both the serous and the mucous surfaces. The lymphatic system of the female does not differ widely as regards conformation, from that system in the male: it absorhs and transmits perhaps with more rapidity, its appropriate fluids; yet, there is no other known peculiarity in it, except the Win phatic vessels are more numerous; and when they have a ecrtain predominance, they constitute a temperament; and then, unfor innately for the possessor, it but too certainly and too frequently, becomes the seat of terrible, and oftentimes incurable disease. The peculiarities which we have thus briefly pointed out, ne cessarily render the female constitution one of a marked, and distinct character. The assemblage of the differences which con- stitute it, renders it, in general terms, one in which the solids are less dense and resisting: for these are found to be more relaxed and flabby than in the male,owing, probably, to the predominance of the cellular and nervous systems. The lymphatic system is more extensive than the sanguineous; which, it is supposed, gives to the female a greater quantity of fluids than to the male. To the operation of several of (he peculiarities above enumc rated, is attributed the supposed predominant temperament of (he female constitution; namely, the sanguineous temperament, so much insisted on by Rousel, and agreed to by Vigarous. In attributing the sanguineous temperament, as the predomi nant one of the female, we only mean to express it as occurring as a general rule ; for we are aware, that there arc many excep- tions to be found ; for, among them, as with the male, every tern pemment may be seen. It has, however, been given so general lv ; that some object must attach to its frequency ; and perhaps the opinion of Vigarous, is as plausible as any. He says, (]<:*- tinees, comme elles le son! (females) a passer de revolutions en revolutions, a cprouver des transitions brusques dans leur rhaiere d'etre, la nature a du former les femmes d'une trempe molle, pour les mettrc en ctal de resistcf aux orages uuxuuels ell rxpose.es/' p. 39, vol. i. ides the systems jusl enumerated as belonging tothehumaa