Dr. Conquest's outlines of midwifery : intended as a text-book for students, and a book of reference for junior practitioners.

  • Conquest, Dr.
Date:
1854
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. Conquest's outlines of midwifery : intended as a text-book for students, and a book of reference for junior practitioners. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    !20 botliam, who has justly observed that, in most of the cases, however, which were adduced to deterniine this fact, the labour had been very lingering, and the child had been destroyed, not by any poisonous quality in the drug, but by pressure, either on the foetal head during its passage through the pelvis, or more likely on the funis umbilicalis. With respect to the mother, ergot is not only a safe, but a valuable remedy, when judiciously given. But if improperly administered it may cause lacera- tion of the uterus, vagina, or perineum. Galvanism.—Conflicting opinions prevail as to the value of this agent in the treatment of lingering labour. Herder suggested its use many years since, and its utility as an ecbolic agent has recently been advocated by Drs. Radford, G. Bird, Lever, Barnes, Mackenzie; also by Messrs. Houghton, Cleveland, Dorrington, Wilson, Clarke, and others. The remedy has, however, failed in the able hands of Dr. Simpson. Whatever may be its utility as an excitant of the muscular fibres of the uterus, there can be no doubt as to its great efficacy in exciting the secerning functions of the womb; the latter fact has been fully established by the researches of Dr. Gull. — J. M. W.] Plethora, as indicated by the calibre of the vessels, or by the force or frequency of the circulation, will sometimes produce this feeble and partial action of the uterus. The abstraction of a few ounces of blood will ac- celerate the progress of labour retarded by this cause.