Clinical lectures on diseases peculiar to women / by Lombe Atthill.

  • Lombe Atthill
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Clinical lectures on diseases peculiar to women / by Lombe Atthill. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    341/366 (page 319)
    Medicated vaginal pessaries, containing a variety of medi- cal agents, such as iodide of lead, mercury, tannin, bella- donna, &c., are in common use. I can only say that I have never found them of real service, and consequently do not now employ them. But many drugs may be administered ■with great advantage per anum in the shape of suppositories ; this specially holds good with respect to iodoform. In many painful affections, such as in some cases of fibroid tumours of the uterus, in which the sufferings are severe, five grains of iodoform in a suppository introduced into the rectum gives great relief, and may with advantage be substituted for opium. It seems to act by relieving muscular spasm. Numerous medicinal agents are now employed in the treatment of disease of the cavity of the uterus. These may be used in the form of fluids, of solids, or of ointments. I mention them in what I consider to be the order of then- value. With respect to fluids, I give you one caution : do not in- ject them into the uterus. Such a method is fraught with great danger, and except that it is generally easy of execu- tion, possesses no advantage. The fluids most commonly employed in the treatment of intra-uterine diseases, are a saturated solution of carbolic acid, iodized phenol, tincture of iodine, the tincture of the perchloride of iron, the pernitrate of mercury, chromic acid, and the fuming nitric acid. A solution of nitrate of silver is also sometimes used, but I believe it to be inefficacious. Carbolic acid is a mild, but not always a painless applica- tion • applied to the vaginal surface of the cervix it produces a very superficial slough, its effects passing off in twenty-four hours. Applied to the interior of the uterus, its effects are equally superficial and transitory. It is therefore useful in cases where you desire to apply a mild, stimulating caustic ■