Irritation of the prostate / by R. Harvey Reed.

  • Reed, R. Harvey.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Irritation of the prostate / by R. Harvey Reed. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    [5] If allowed to go on without proper care, the patient is in constant dan- ger of violent outbreaks in the gland structure itself, from the develop- ment of acute inflammation, or suppuration, calcareous degeneration, chronic enlargement, or the complications arising from the involvement of surrounding structures, which may not only hazard the patient's health entirely, but sacrifice his life. On the other hand, I have known it to yield in a few weeks to treat- ment, although I have seen it continue months and months before recov- ery would take take place. Treatment.—The first thing to do in the treatment of this disease is to gain the entire confidence of the patient, and then to ascertain the cause or causes producing the irritation. If it is the result of masturba- tion, endeavor, by all the means at your control, to prevent its continu ance. I haves een patients who had this abominable and filthy habit so fixed on them that they would resort to it in their sleep, night after night, until I found it necessary to put tight drawers on them to prevent them from getting a hold of their penis while asleep, and committing the act automatically, as it were. Others, again, would knowingly and willingly yield to the temptation in the face of all my admonitions, and deliber- ately masturbate day in and day out, notwithstanding all my warning against it, until I was obliged to paint the glans penis with some irritant or vesicant, and thus destroy their pleasure in the act, until other reme- dies could be administered. The remedies which have served me the best under these circum- stances have been bromides combined with ext. of viburnum prunifo- lium, or ext. viburnum opulus, tr. belladonna, ergot or camphor, to soothe the sexual excitement. Generally such tonics as strychnia, iron, quinine, arsenic, or the hypo-phosphites of sodium or calcium, are indi- cated, and prove highly beneficial in building up the general system, with which should be associated sufficient alterative to insure an active condition of the secretions. Whilst locally, if I cannot quiet the irrita- tion by the use of injections of tepid water into the bowel, just before or immediately after retiring, to which may be added hydrate of chloral, • I give a suppository of hyoscyamus combined with iodoform and camphor. In the inflammatory or congestive form, especially when associated with scanty or high colored urine, I have found the following to be very beneficial :