A case of complete inversion of the uterus, nearly of twelve years' duration, successfully treated / by W. Tyler Smith.

  • Smith, W. Tyler (William Tyler), 1815-1873.
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A case of complete inversion of the uterus, nearly of twelve years' duration, successfully treated / by W. Tyler Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    for polypus. With these remarks, I proceed to relate the case which fell under my own observation. Case.—Mrs. J—, get. 18, was delivered of a first child on the 6th of October, 1845. Immediately after the com¬ pletion of labour her medical attendant left the house, having received a summons to another midwifery case, at a considerable distance in the country. Mrs. J— lost a very large quantity of blood after his departure, and was said to have remained insensible for ten or twelve days. At the end of this time there was no swelling externally, and no suspicion of inversion was excited. She continued, however, to lose blood, which at first was considered to be the lochial discharge in unusul quantity, but none of the means used were sufficient to arrest the haemorrhage. The flooding continued to a greater or less extent for nearly twelve years. During this long time she was never for a single day free from sanguineous discharge. Before her pregnancy, the catamenia had been regular and moderate. From the time of her labour, the loss of blood generally increased at the monthly dates, and remained profuse for upwards of a fortnight, after which the discharge would become paler for about ten days, until the date of the next monthly return; but it never ceased entirely. The extent of the haemorrhage may be gathered from the fact that during the fortnight of excessive loss, from fifteen to twenty thick napkins would become saturated every twenty-four hours. When this state of things had continued for some time, she was examined, and the existence of a tumour in the vagina was detected. The opinions of the many medical men who saw her were divided as to whether the case was one of inverted uterus, or of polypus descending after labour, as sometimes occurs. The existence of this doubt prevented any operative means for the removal of the tumour, beyond abortive attempts to replace the uterus, by those who considered it a case of inversion. Astringents given internally, and used externally, with every other means that could be devised, failed of affording any relief.