Useful hints to those who are afflicted with ruptures : on the nature, cure, and consequences of the disease, and on the empirical practices of the present day / by T. Sheldrake.

  • Sheldrake, Timothy.
Date:
1803
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Useful hints to those who are afflicted with ruptures : on the nature, cure, and consequences of the disease, and on the empirical practices of the present day / by T. Sheldrake. 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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    12S gave her no trouble, she, therefore, took no notice of it, though it went on gradually increasing; and, as she declined in life, it attained to a very great size. WJien an event happened Avhich alarmed many rup- tured patients, this lady likewise took the alarm, applied the old bandage which she had kept by her, but finding it was useless, by the advice of her surgeon she sent for me j she produced the old truss, informed me hoza easy, how pleasant, it had been, and expected that 1 should make her one as easy and as pleasant to suit the present state of her case. It was in vain to represent that her rupture Avas now more than t\venty times as large as at first, and that of course the truss to be applied must be proportionably strong, which would occasion more restraint, though it would produce no unpleasant consequences; her Gommands were absolute, and the gentleman wiio introduced me v/ish- ed that I should try, at least, to please her: I did so, pro- duced trusses that were as easy as she could wish, but they did not keep up her rupture. I then applied a truss that </i6?keep it up compleatly, without any untoward circum- stance, except the restraint that was indispensably neces-, sary : this she would not bear, said she had ratlier abide by all the consequences of the disease rather than wear any truss, and has determined to avoid every exertion that it is in her power to avoid, that she may not increase her rup- ture, and leave the rest to chance. Had this lady paid due attention to the advice that was given her at the commencement of the disease, she imght, by wearing such bandages as were no inconvenience to her, have preserved herself from every ill consequence of the disease dunng her life: but she felt nothing, therefore believed nothing was to be felt, and would not even use a precaution that could be but little trouble, to reserve fierselt from possible mconvemencies in future: those in, conveniencies did fall on her; she felt, and wished to avoid tZ\t r-! °^n''''^'^°' false reasoning upon the subicct still pursued her, and she resolves to suffel- all the consequences oi the disease, rather than a triflino- niconvemence which a different mode of reasonino mi have convinced her would soon be no inconvenienc^ i f • Sa io7tn?''^ l' prove fatal, but it requires little pent o st relin^irr' ' ifV T^' ^^'^ becoming r^ved f r'''' '^11 the advantages that she might have de- this mea^s ifr'T P'-^' S'^g^he term of health, and,by tnis means is accelerating the period of decripid old a-e ^ A gen-