Cases of puerperal convulsions, with remarks / [John Charles Weaver Lever].

  • Lever, John C. W., 1811-1858.
Date:
[1843]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cases of puerperal convulsions, with remarks / [John Charles Weaver Lever]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to talk at random. At 5 o’clock she was attacked with a very severe convulsion : during its continuance, her pupils alternately contracted and dilated in quick succession: her pulse varied, rang¬ ing from 100 to 160 beats in a minute. He bled her from the arm to ^xl.; her head was shaved; cold evaporating lotions were kept constantly on the scalp ; mustard poultices were applied to the feet; a turpentine injection administered; and ten grains of calomel were placed upon the tongue. A 8 o’clock p.m. another severe convulsion occurred, when 3xij. more blood were abstracted from the arm. At 10 o’clock Hr. Lever found, upon examination, the os uteri was dilated to the size of a half-crown, the membranes protruding, and the head presenting : and as the convulsions recurred very frequently, and as their strength by no means diminished, he thought it advisable to perform the operation of version : this was accomplished, and a still¬ born female child expe.lled : the uterus contracted firmly, and in ten minutes expelled the placenta. After her delivery, the convulsions recurred; and as the pulse maintained its firmness and tone, blood was again abstracted, by opening the temporal artery and by cupping. At 2 a.m., October 29th, her fits continued, at intervals of about twenty minutes : her pupils were dilated : she was insensible : her pulse was full, 110. She was ordered hyd. chlorid. gr. iv. 3tishoris. At 10 a.m. she had another convulsion: her pulse was full and hard, 100. 3xx. more blood were taken from the arm: and this last quantity of blood was found to be very much huffed and cupped, although none of the blood abstracted previously presented these appearances. At the suggestion of Hr. Ashwell, she took ant. pot. tart. gr. ^ every quarter of an hour; and remained nearly an hour without being convulsed. At 1 o’clock she had a very violent fit; and was ordered to continue the ant. pot. tart. At half-past 10 p.m. her pulse was 110; and there were some symptoms of returning consciousness. Oct. 30. Much the same : rather more sensible : the bowels have been relieved: she was ordered hyd. chlorid. gr. i. cret. prep. gr. ij. 4tis horis. Oct. 31. As she was in great distress, living in a very low lodging- house, she was brought into Petersham Ward, Guy’s Hopital, and continued there upwards of five weeks. The mercury produced considerable irritation of the mouth and bowels; to relieve which, various remedies were resorted to. She suffered also very consi¬ derably from a vaginal abscess, accompanied with ulceration of the sphincter. Her urine, which was daily abstracted by the catheter, was sub¬ jected to the usual tests; and was found, at first, to he highly charged with albumen. This gradually decreased until November 3, when it lost all traces of that substance.