The mechanical system of uterine pathology : being the Harveian lectures delivered before the Harveian Society of London, December 1877 / by Graily Hewitt.

  • Hewitt, Graily, 1828-1893.
Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The mechanical system of uterine pathology : being the Harveian lectures delivered before the Harveian Society of London, December 1877 / by Graily Hewitt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Finally, it became necessary to apply support, both anteriorly and poste- riorly, to keep the uterus straight. The patient was quite comfortable when her uierus was in proper position, and exceedingly uncomfortable when, for any reason, the mechanism used failed-to restrain the abnormal movements of the uterus. In short, observation teaches that the uterus possessing its natural firmness resists forces tending to bend it with success, unless those forces happen to be considerable. Very severe accidents may produce suddenly a decided uterine flexion, but these cases are not very common, whereas cases in which the uterus has slowly become weakened and softened, and thus incapacitated for resistance to external influences, are comparatively very frequent, and it is under these circumstances tiiat shght accidents, over-walking, over-exertion, produce injurious effects. The Problem to he solved. It will now be necessary, in reference to the problem before us—viz. the question as to the importance and influence of the mechanical diseases of the uterus—to consider the clinical aspect of cases of uterine disease more particularly. We have now to survey another series of facts : namely, the symptoms, abnormal sensations, discomforts, and inconve- niences which patients experience. On the one hand, we ]:ave patients suffering variously, unable to walk, experiencing pains of various kinds, suffering in a multitude of ways from derangement of the menstrual func- tions, presenting various other symptoms traceable to the influence of the uterus. On the other hand, we have information from chnical observation, from post-mortem examination, and otherwise, of the existence of a variety of changes in the position, size, shtipe, texture, and vascularity of the uterus, certain abnormalities of appearance of the os uteri, increase of secretion, &c. Now, it is evident that any system of uterine pathology professing to be a system must be an intelhgible interpretation of these