A treatise on the diseases of females / by William P. Dewees.

  • William Potts Dewees
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the diseases of females / by William P. Dewees. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/590 page 17
    more extensive than the sanguineous; which it is supposed, gives to the female a greater quantity of fluids than to the male. T'o the operation of several of the peculiarities above enume- rated, is attributed the supposed predominant temperament of the female constitution; namely, the sanguineous temperament, so much insisted on by Rousel, and agreed to by Vigarous. In attributing the sanguineous temperament, as the predomi- nant one of the female, we only mean to express it as occurring as a general rule; for we are aware, that there are many excep- tions to be found; for, among them, as with the male, every tem- perament may be seen. It has, however, been given so general- ly; that some object must attach to its frequency; and perhaps: the opinion of Vigarous, is as plausible as any. He says, ‘‘ des- tinées, comme elles le sont (females) & passer de révolutions en révolutions, 4 eprouver des transitions brusques dans leur maiére: d’étre, la nature a dai former les femmes: d’une trempe molle,, pour les mettre en etat de résister aux orages auxquels elle sont exposées,”’ p. 39, vol. 1.. Besides the systems just enumerated as belonging to the human system, many are disposed to give to the female another, namely, the uterine system ; and: which they endow with an extent of in-- fluence that belongs to no other. . It has been handed down to:us from time immemorial, that the uterus exerts a paramount power over every other system; and governs them with a sway no less whimsical than potent. That it creates, exalts, or modifies disease, in every portion: of the body ; hence, the aphorism of Hippocrates, “‘ morborum-omnium qui muliebres vocantur uteri in causa sint.””? Thatit not only forms, or governs the moral character of the female, but regulates the physical movements: of her body: hence, the declaration of Van Helmont: ‘‘ propter solum uterum, est mulier id quod est.”’ By many, the uterus has beem declared to possess: a separate and peculiar life ; that it has its own mode of existence; and is totally independent of the laws; which govern the other portions of the system. Areteus compared it to ‘¢an animal confined within another animal; that it travelled: without restraint from any portiom of the body to another; that it would take possession: of any sense; or occupy any viscera, whether situated at. the right or the left side of the body; but that its movements were rather towards the inferior portions of it. It was like a wander- ing being; that it relished agreeable odours, and would move itself towards the place from which they appeared to emanate ; but would remove itself in sadness, from places which had. disa-- greeable smells,”’ &c.* be Sydenham, Cullen, Good, and: very many others, have given ; * Chamben. Q*
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image