An essay on the means of lessening pain, and facilitating certain cases of difficult parturition / by William P. Dewees.

  • Dewees, William P. (William Potts), 1768-1841.
Date:
1806
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the means of lessening pain, and facilitating certain cases of difficult parturition / by William P. Dewees. 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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    of blood to these parts, which, when not excessive, stimulate the glands here situated, to an increase of action ; hence the abundant flow of mucus. This mucus is sometimes tinged with blood, which arises from the rupture of some of the small vessels of the c horion, or perhaps placenta. This mucus seems to serve a double purpose;— first, it lubricates the passage, and by that means al- lows the child to pass more easily; and secondly, it facilitates the relaxation of the vagina perineum, by diminishing the quantity of fluids sent to these parts during this period ; and thus acts like topical depletion, which we well know, favours relaxation; this we are inclined to believe is the chief use of this discharge. Were it merely to lubricate the pas- sage, we could always obtain the same end by artifi- cial means ; but every body knows this does not an- swer the purpose equally well. This fact is tacitly implied, if not acknowledged, by every writer on the subject of midwifery, when they caution against fre- quent touching, lest you waste the natural mucus of the part; why this caution, if it were merely to moisten, since we have a number of substitutes ? No, the fact is, frequent touching stimulates these glands beyond the secreting degree, therefore the parts become dry, for want of it; and rigid, because the parts have failed in this depletion. This is the