A compend of domestic midwifery : for the use of female practitioners, being an appendix to Buchan's Domestic medicine.

  • Shecut, John L. E. W. (John Linnaeus Edward Whitridge), 1770-1836.
Date:
1815
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A compend of domestic midwifery : for the use of female practitioners, being an appendix to Buchan's Domestic medicine. 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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    perhaps with extraordinary difficulty, borne many healthy full grown children. The Spine ma be curved to the right or the left, a cir- cumstance frequently caused bv young girls quilting, and ye' the pelvis no way deformed. As a maxim, when a woman is well pro- portioned in the lower extremities and walks well, the pelvis is generally well formtd. whatever contortions the spine may h ve Buffered, but if she is affec^d in her walk we may conclude the pelvis labours under some degree of contortion. SECTION 3. Of the Womb and it® a/ifiendages. In this section we shall consider the contents of the Pelvis in an unimpregnated state. These arc the intestinum rectum or straight- gut the bladder of Urine, muscles, ligaments, nerves and blood- vessels, and lastly the womb and its appendages. Of these such only as are intimately connected with delivery will be particularly noticed, the rest we leave lor the consideration of the scientific — The intestinum rectum or straight-gut is a continuation of the Colon thiough the Pelvis to the anus, its ordinary position is along the curvature of the Sacrum in the direction of B. L. D. in plate 3d— The bladder of Urine is situated in that part of {.he Pelvis which is marked bv the letters I. M JNI 1. Plate 3d. And the womb im- mediately between thtm boih.— The Womb is a small hollow organ shaprd somewhat like a pear flattened, and is placed in the cavity of the fielvis or basin between the straight-gut and bladder as already observed. It is divided in o the bottom, the body, the inck, and the mouth. The bottom is the line between the two t pper corners: it is placed somewhat below the brim of thebasn, and is about two inches in extent. Cheseldtn says that the womb is about one inch thick, two broad, and large enough to contain the ke:nel of a hazel-nut; but in won,en that have had children a little larger l he mouth is the lowest part of the womb; it consists of a small opening surrounded by two pretty thick lips; the ;»pp< arance however of this part varies in different women. The body and neck, each contributing almost equal proportions, fotm the space between th<- boitom and mouth. The subs-.ance of the womb is fleshy, but it is more con pact than that of any other fleshy part, it is supplied with a number oi bloodvessels lymphatics and nerves, which are so much compress- ed that .heir course cannot be traced. I he inside of the womb is lintel with a very fine skin, which is somewhat wrinkled in yo. ng- women particularly towards ;he neck, the s'.ructure of this skin is not psoperly understood. The extremi ies of many *ery minute vessels can be perceived on its mi< Lee ; and between the wrinkle? theif are »m II mucous gLrxls From the inside < f the womb the periodical evacuation or monthly discharges proceed.—