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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    In July, 1856, Mrs. J— was sent to me from Port Madoc, North Wales, where she resided, by Mr. Griffith, under whose care she had been for a short time only, and from that gentleman, and the patient herself, I learnt the fore¬ going particulars of her case. When I first saw her, she was in a state of extreme ansemia. The skin was exceedingly pale and wax-like; the conjunctivse were without any visible trace of blood-vessels, the tongue and gums were ash-coloured, as was also the mucous membrane of the vulva and vagina. She was not particularly thin, but flabby, and the lower extremities and the body generally, were (Edematous. The pulse was scarcely perceptible at the wrist. When she was at rest the sounds of the heart were regular but weak, and loud venous murmurs were audible in the neck. Her appetite was habitually bad, and a sense of nausea, often proceeding to vomiting, was very distressing. She suffered severely from cephalalgia. Dimness of vision, sometimes amounting to blindness, tinnitus aurium, palpitation in¬ creased to a most alarming extent by slight exertion, and great breathlessness. On many occasions she had fainted and remained insensible for several hours. She had also been subject to convulsions of an epileptic character. Sleep¬ lessness was a very marked feature in her case. She rarely slept soundly, and on falling off to sleep was constantly roused by a feeling of faintness and dissolution. This was increased if she lay on her left side. The sleeplessness and breathlessness mentioned are, I believe, constant attend¬ ants upon excessive and long-continued loss of blood. It appears as though, in such extreme cases, respiration could not go on without the assistance of volition, and as if the system could scarcely afford that amount of cerebral con¬ gestion necessary to sleep. The effects of the constant hsemorrliage on the secretions were very remarkable. She described herself as never having been in a perspiration since the loss of blood com¬ menced. The action of the skin seemed to be entirely suspended. The bowels were obstinately constipated. She made very little water, and constantly went twenty-four