On pelvic abscess / by Charles J. Cullingworth.

  • Cullingworth, Charles J. (Charles James), 1841-1908.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On pelvic abscess / by Charles J. Cullingworth. 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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    the cervix uteri, resulting in a fistula in that situation. I y^ub- lished the case in full in a yDaper in the 17th volume of the St. Thomas’s Hospital Reports, and shall here merely give an abstract of it. Case 3. A married woman, aged 36, was admitted into hospital nineteen weeks after her fourth confinement. Her first three labours had been natural; the last one had been very difficult, delivery having been accomplished by the use of forceps, and then only after prolonged effort. She became feverish soon afterwards, and had much vomiting. The lochia were arrested. A fortnight after the labour a purulent discharge took place from the vagina. This went on for a few days, when, the flow not being very free, an opening felt on making a vaginal examination was enlarged by the medical attendant. The purulent discharge continued for thirteen weeks, gradually diminishing in quantity. It then suddenly became more profuse and very offensive, and the opening was again enlarged. Not long after this a quantity of horribly offensive pultaceous mate- rial passed, together with a quantity of hair three or four inches in length. This offensive discharge went on up to the time of her admission. The patient had endeavoured to occupy herself in the house, but found that she was becoming thinner and weaker, and that she was never safe from a sudden outburst of ill-smelling discharge. An abdominal swelling had been noticed for the first time about six weeks after the confinement. On admission the patient, who was sent in as a case of pelvic cellulitis, was pale, wasted, and very ill. She had a rounded tumour in the right iliac region, reaching to the level of the umbilicus. The posterior fornix of the vagina was obliterated, the finger on entering the vagina passing directly into the cervix uteri. On the inner and posterior wall of the cervix there could be felt a lacerated depression, such as would be caused by the passage of a moderate-sized trocar. No opening was discover- able in the vaginal wall. There was a hard rounded mass in Douglas’s pouch, depressing the vaginal roof. On opening the abdomen the swelling proved, of course, to