Elements of medical jurisprudence / By Theodric Romeyn Beck.

  • Theodric Romeyn Beck
Date:
1825
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Elements of medical jurisprudence / By Theodric Romeyn Beck. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    138/708 page 74
    Il. Of the signs of real pregnancy, and of concealed and pretended pregnancy. In the ordinary practice of medicine, but little difficulty ever occurs in ascertaining the presence of pregnancy. ‘The female, when she consults a physician, is frank in her avowal of the symptoms present, and from her narrative an opinion sufficiently accurate can generally be formed. The reverse, however, takes place in legal medicine. Here, pregnancy may be concEaLep by unmarried women, and even by married ones, under. certain circumstances, to avoid disgrace, and to enable them to destroy their offspring in its mature or unmature state. It may also be prETENDED, to gratify the wishes of relatives—to de- prive the legal successor of his just claims—to extort money, or to de- lay the execution of punishment. Neither of these can be properly investigated, without recurring to the signs of real pregnancy, and this remark deserves particular notice, since, with all the light that modern science affords, serious errors have notwithstanding been committed. The female has an interest, and a wish to deceive the examiner, and her testimony, which, in ordinary cases, is so much relied on, is here suspicious, or not to be credited. Mahon has suggested a useful division of the signs of pregnancy, viz. those which affect the system generally, and those which affect the uterus.* | The changes observed in the system from conception and pregnancy, are principally the following ; increased irritability of temper, melan- choly, a languid cast of countenance, nausea, heart-burn, loathing of food, vomiting in the morning, feverish heat, with emaciation and cos- tiveness, occasionally depravity of appetite, a congestion in the head, which gives rise to spots on the face, to head-ache, and erratic pains in the face and teeth. The pressure of increasing pregnancy sometimes occasions varicose tumours, or anasarcous swellings of the lower extre- mities. The breasts also enlarge, an areola, or brown circle, is ob- served around the nipples, and a secretion of lymph, composed of milk and water, takes place. All of these do not occur in every pregnancy, but many of them in most cases. The changes that affect the uterus, are—a suppression of the menses. Sa 5 TSS a a eS was still more mild in its provisions. It prescribed, that no woman, accused of a capital crime, should be brought to trial, until it was properly ascertained that she was not pregnant. In conformity with this, the court of cassation reserved several decisions of inferior criminal courts, where it appeared that the female had not been properly examined ; and it seems, indeed, that they demanded proof that in such cases the examination had always been made. (Ibid. p. 428 to 431.) This is pro- bably abolished, as no mention is made of it in the code now in force. * Mahon, 1, p. 142. + Denman, chap, 7. Foderé,1, p. 434, &c. Dr. Denman observes, that much regard should be paid to the navel in cases of doubtful pregnancy. It emerges in real cases, until it comes to an even surface with the integuments of the abdomen, (p. 227.) Mahon, however, remarks, that in many cases of dropsy, the same appearance is seen. (Vol. 1, p, 155.)
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