An attempt to prove, on rational principles, that the term of human pregnancy may be considerably extended beyond nine calendar months : comprising the substance of evidence given in the Gardner peerage cause, before the House of Lords, July 4, 1825 / by John Power.

  • Power, John.
Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An attempt to prove, on rational principles, that the term of human pregnancy may be considerably extended beyond nine calendar months : comprising the substance of evidence given in the Gardner peerage cause, before the House of Lords, July 4, 1825 / by John Power. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    and no symptom indicative of labour could be detected; the patient was, however, in the last stage of pregnancy. Considering the case as most critical, I determined to attempt to excite labour, and, with this view, com- menced a vigorous friction on the abdomen with one hand, while with the index finger of the other I stimulated the mouth of the womb. In less than five minutes I perceived the womb contracting firmly; after this, by continuing the treatment, the labour proceeded in the most regular and satisfactory manner; so that before the expiration of one hour from my entering the room the child was born! The patient recovered in the most favourable manner.* Another proof of the correctness of the theory is, that a deficiency of orificial iirita- tion is followed by a deficiency or suspension of labour; so that this important function may either be weakened or deferred inconsequence. This, however, which it is the chief object of the present essay to establish, must be the subject of an exclusive chapter. * The present case is intentionally abbreviated, as the Author only wished to evidence those points which appeared to illustrate the doctrine of orificial irritation. The professional reader will, however, be fully sensible of its very interesting character in other respects, as well as of the important practical inferences which the success of the treatment adopted cannot fail to suggest, relative to floodings in the latter months of pregnancy.