Gynaecological electro-therapeutics / by Horatio R. Bigelow ; with an introduction by Georges Apostoli.

Date:
1889
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Gynaecological electro-therapeutics / by Horatio R. Bigelow ; with an introduction by Georges Apostoli. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    the carbolic, or other antiseptic mixtures, to the total exclusion of all mercurial preparations. I may say that I have great confidence in these positive punctures for fibroids, especially when we encounter persistent pains; and I even have recourse to them when the pain seems to be connected with a state of peri-uterine inflammation. II. Hsemorrhage. I believe that we may improve our way of treating haemor- rhage and render it shorter and more decisive. We occasionally fail for two reasons : first, that all the bleed- ing membrane inside the uterus is not equally and uniformly cauterized; and secondly, that we have not used a current strong enough to cauterize sufficiently. 1st. Irregular cauterization. I employ a straight platinum sound, which answers perfectly well in a small uterus with a small cavity. But its action lessens in proportion as the extent of the mucous membrane enlarges. This may be owing either to the instrument moving too freely and coming in contact with only one surface of a large cavity, or to some inequalities of surface such as are found in the hour-glass form of uterus, when the small straight sound touches only isolated points, cauterizing some to the utmost, while others escape altogether. I overcome these difficulties in two ways :— a. After a multiplicity of experiments I have devised a new electrode, which is soft, and not only a good conductor, but harmless and quite aseptic. It is composed of gelosiner and can be made to mould itself upon the whole of the uterme interior. It must be previously steriUzed either by open boihng and then cooling, or by exposing it in the containing vessel to a temperature of from lOO to 120 degrees centigrade. Ihis matter is then introduced into the cavity of the uterus, so as *Gelosine. Gelosine is the mucilaginous principle recently extracted by M R Guerin, chemist, of Paris, from the gelose of the GeMtun. cor»cu,n, a sea-weed-of Japan, found in abundance at Smgapore.