The London practice of midwifery: including the treatment during the puerperal state, and the principal infantile diseases : To which is added notes, plates and Denman's Aphorisms.

Date:
1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The London practice of midwifery: including the treatment during the puerperal state, and the principal infantile diseases : To which is added notes, plates and Denman's Aphorisms. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Lamar Soutter Library, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

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    We should always give an object; else when we send a patient into the country, every step his horse takes he will be anxiously considering whether he feels himself better or not; which anxiety alone is enough to prevent his getting better. We may then order our patients to Islington, if we think that is far enough; or to Hamstead, if we think it good to give more exercise, and an object farther removed ; and the stop- ping the increased secretion will sometimes be the conse- quence of this last measure. The next sort of menorrhagia does not depend on general but local weakness; arising from the woman having borne a great number of children; and the loss of blood is owing to the weakened state of the w#em5. This effect is sometimes dependant on excessive venery ; hence we account for the violent attacks of mmorrhami prostitutes are very subject to. It may arise from blows on the abdomen. This is a more un- manageable case than the others ; because the weakness is local, and any strengthening remedies applied, constitution- ally increase the strength of both parts at the same time ; so that there still is the same difference between the system and the uterus^ in point of tone, because they are both equally raised : cold and astringent solutions injected into the vagina are the best remedies. Though now and then a case occurs, where the opposite means succeed, where every cold appli- cation has failed, and throwing up tepid water has put a stop to the disease. But it often happens that there is no clue whatever by which we may direct ourselves; then we must mind, that, whatever we do, we avoid mischief. If there is costiveness, we should remove it ; that is not doing harm at any rate. The most difficult thing is, the management of this state of relaxed uterine vessels. It may be produced by frequent child-bearing; but a much more certain cause is frequent abortion. A woman who has borne ten children in ten years, does more than nature intended her to do ; but the system can support this easier than ten miscarriages. Where thi^ case exists simply without any weakness of the system, the cure will be effected by only removing the cause : but where the system is reduced by the hemorrhage, we may endeavor to increase both general and local tone at the same time, by injecting a decoction of the cortex granatorum^ with the addition of alum. The worst state of relaxed uterine system is, a great local weakness of Vessels, which cannot be acted upon throu«^h the medium of the constitution. Since the hemorrhage will be increased by whatever increases the strength of action in the heart and arteries, it would be more an object to lower the