Thomsonian practice of midwifery : and treatment of complaints peculiar to women and children / By J.W. Comfort, M.D.

  • Comfort, J. W. (John W.)
Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thomsonian practice of midwifery : and treatment of complaints peculiar to women and children / By J.W. Comfort, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    caused the womb to contract so perfectly as not only to expel all the effused blood, but the contraction was permanent, and Mrs. L did not experience a single after-pain. The free use of the Thomsonian remedies during labour, les- sens the liability to severe or protracted after-pains, because it sustains the nervous power, by the influence of which the mus- cular fibres of the womb contract. The application of warmth to the abdomen and feet, by hot bricks or bottles of hot water, will lessen the severity of after- paine. This will also operate as a preventive to inflammation of the womb by promoting perspiration, keeping the parts warm, and equalizing the circulation of the blood. The Lochia, by which is meant the discharges which take place from the uterus after delivery, will be regulated, in rela- tion to quantity, by the degree of contraction of the uterus; so that the more perfect the contraction the less the discharge. Much consequence says Dr. Dewees, is attached to those discharges; the good old gossips of almost every country, are of opinion, that the freer they are produced, the better; and are always better pleased with an abundant than with a spare quan- tity, it is proper therefore, before we proceed farther, that we determine the real nature of this evacuation. As the uterus never contracts with so much force immedi- ately after delivery, as to stop the mouths of all the exposed vessels, a quantity of blood must necessarily proceed from the extremities of such as are open; and this quantity will be in proportion to their capacities, though perhaps these vessels are now much reduced in size, while on the other hand, the quan- tity discharged will be constantly diminishing in the exact ratio of reduction; it must therefore follow, there is no definite quan- tity to be evacuated, but will entirely depend upon the contin- gency of the more or less perfect condition of the tonic power of the uterus. This being true, it must also follow, that the quan- tity discharged will differ in each individual, and in the same individual, at each particular labour; consequently there can be