The radical cure of hernia : embracing a description of the disease, its varieties, peculiar conditions, causes, symptoms, dangers, treatment and permanent cure : together with a history of trusses, and an examination into the various kinds in general use : with a deduction of new principles, and a description of a new instrument recently invented for a radical cure / by A.W. Patterson.
- Patterson, A. W. (Andrew W.)
- Date:
- 1849
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The radical cure of hernia : embracing a description of the disease, its varieties, peculiar conditions, causes, symptoms, dangers, treatment and permanent cure : together with a history of trusses, and an examination into the various kinds in general use : with a deduction of new principles, and a description of a new instrument recently invented for a radical cure / by A.W. Patterson. 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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![0 11 Tin- Radical Cure of Hernia. j ) __ } Here, tlien, is perhnj.- In general um. And it oertainlj not excite surprise, thai so littli ads the treatmenl of the disease; or, why so few physi- cians care at all to treat it. The sum of essential merits in the one olass, amoonting but to i only,—either more than canceled by the ei lying them,—i tate of treatmenl in md n; and with bnl a basis apon which to bnild an improvement. Were the two properties, imperl found in the same class, there wonld be less difficult] But, not being the oaae, it would indeed ', new, in almost every particular, musl be produced. Bo construction which would embrace them both; and, moi o , must be fallen upon, or no improvement wool In a word, we must have more ease than afforded by the soft. pad. We must have a better retention than made by either; and, at least, a toler- ably certain cure. Now.it became evident, that the required ease, and perhaps secure retention, might he gained by a new construction, hut the tolerably certain cure depended upon certain prin- ciples in the modus operandi, which were yet to he asci B their indications could be filled. The theory of a radical cure, it was thought, was understood; hut, win |] in one instance, and not in another, could not he explained,—it was yet to he inquired into. It was plain, however, it depended upon the action or influence of the mechanical means employed, bnl hail not been investigated so fully ami successfully as to be understood. And to this, we now directed atten- tion. To discover it, was no sm all desideratum If the chances of a ra increased, the instrument received hut little acquisition by the introduction of the wood pad. 11'they were rendered bnt tolerably certain, a great deal was gained. Accordingly, we entered int.' experiments; and springs of different strengths were finally applied. Some of greater, some .. am, and some below medium strength, and their comparative effects noted. It was found th above medium, scarcely ever effected a cure; those of medium, were more successful; while those below medium, more frequently effected radical cures. Here then was the important once arrived at. It was plain that Tin-: PRESSURE USUALLY EMPLOYED WA-S too GREAT; and that it was the secret of so much n I mark the prospect. Could it be generally redu ratio of cures would be correspondingly increased. And could it be extent of beneficial iv.Milii would at once he realized. And when thus brought particularly under notice, it was not difficult to see thai evere pressure could have no good effects; bnl instead the very thing desired; by benumbing the pan, and theri thai strengthens which is the process of a radical cure; and which the very gentle anion of a hard surface is i ny i, in his Woil. on Ruptures, . The patient should on no account, wear a more powerful spring than is sufficient to keep the rup- ture up; since the long'contint if the pad must have the effect of weaki a thj abdominal nrronnding parts. Therefore, gentle pressure was now emphatically wanted; and this chimed in well with the ease sought. A construction that would afford the one, woidd n famish the other. An instrument that would press gently, would also press with ease. Next for its construction. CHAPTER XIV. NEW PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTION WANTED. The new principle of GENTLE pressure, as it regards a radical cure, we accordingly claim as the result of our .own labors. Its importance will be duly appreciated. While it affords the p of a speedy and permanent cure, it also procures the long wished-for ease to the wearer. As a prin- ciple, it is unalterably such; and future instruments must necessarily be constructed in conformity with it. With these views we proceeded to devise some mechanical construction that would fully develop it. And it might be supposed, this would be readily accomplished, by simply redi strength of spring. It is true that the strength of spring must he reduced; hut, of itself, it ., be sufficient. The hernia would not he retained; for the pressure usually employed, was requisite to that end; and, under the general construction, would not permit of being reduced The cai tioned in the preceding chapter, as selected for trial, were those only in which genth subserve; but in which the varied pressure, as named, was applied; though the powerful was nnne- cessary for the purposes of retention, but important to comparative results. For only from the thus varied treatment of like cases, could their, respectively corresponding results be estimated Ho the simple reduction of the strength of spring, was not sufficient of itself, for the generality'o borne new-construction musl he added to render it effective. And when it w, that with the tips of but two fingers, almost any rupture might be retained, even against the action of a violent cough, it seemed plausible that some arrangement might he fallen upon to act certainty; while ,t was direct evidence that powerful pressure was uncalled-for. Could sncl therefore, he imitated, we would have what we sought. To imitate it, then, wa. important A small block and an upward pressure would do it; ami wonld differ materially from that made I,; the usual trusses; wh.ch was backward and on . ,omi in ron ^ , * pubic bone and solid parts of the groin. ,ntial it should have u d self-adjusting movement, that ,t might avoid the usual severity, as well as general liability , ,](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21146159_0018.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
