Midwifery and the diseases of women : a descriptive and practical work : showing the superiority of water-treatment in menstruation and its disorders, chlorosis, leucorrhea, fluor albus, prolapsus uteri, hysteria, spinal diseases, and other weaknesses of females : in pregnancy and its diseases, abortion, uterine hemorrhage, and the general management of childbirth, nursing, etc., etc. : illustrated with numerous cases of treatment / by Joel Shew.

  • Shew, Joel, 1816-1855.
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Midwifery and the diseases of women : a descriptive and practical work : showing the superiority of water-treatment in menstruation and its disorders, chlorosis, leucorrhea, fluor albus, prolapsus uteri, hysteria, spinal diseases, and other weaknesses of females : in pregnancy and its diseases, abortion, uterine hemorrhage, and the general management of childbirth, nursing, etc., etc. : illustrated with numerous cases of treatment / by Joel Shew. 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.)

    11/436
    In referring to the following letters it will be seen that I have presented some very striking facts illustrative of the effects of water in childbirth. But it may be asked — Do you have no unfavorable cases in water-treatment ? I answer, yes. A few months ago it was my lot to advise a most worthy lady, of active and industrious habits, in this city, in her third pregnancy, and to attend her in childbirth. Owing to mal-position of the child, the face presenting forward instead of backward, as it should, to an- swer to the wider part of the pelvis, the labor was a very severe and protracted one. She suffered incomparably more than she had in both her former confinements. Expecting to have to resort to the use of instruments, I went for them late in the night; but before returning nature had done her own work. The child's head, however, was dreadfully misshapen in consequence of the wrong presentation, and the result was, it soon had a sort of con- vulsions, which, after some weeks of suffering, carried it off. Another sad case, too, has happened while I am preparing these letters for the press. A most estimable lady of this city, in whom I had for years felt a deep interest, and who was one of the most devoted friends the Water-Cure has ever had, was for the third, time pregnant. She had probably always been scrofulous, and a good deal subject to disease. She had, moreover, an old rupture, which at this time was so bad she could not sit up. Such, at least, was her state, for the most part, during the last three or four months she lived. She became very weak, and at about the end of the sixth month of her period she sank. I had not the whole charge of her case, it is true, toward the last, for she was willing, at the most urgent solicitation of her friends, to resort to means which I could not approve of. My candid opinion is, that sho would have died, whatever treatment might have been pursued. If my words are to be believed, it will be seen that I have very great confidence in the Water-Cure. But if I know my own heart, I would in nowise overstate the truth; nor would I knowingly, f<,r my right hand and my left, say that which would mislead either myself or my readers, or make us presumptuous toward that Being who alone can sustain us, and whose paternal care is ever over us, giving us every thing we have—mercy, blessing, and health.