On the symptoms, causes, and treatment of puerperal insanity / by James Reid, M.D.

  • Reid, James, M.D.
Date:
[1848]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the symptoms, causes, and treatment of puerperal insanity / by James Reid, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    ON THE SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, AND TREATMENT OF PUEEPERAL INSANITY. BY JAMES REID, M.D. PHYSICIAN TO THE GENERAL LYING-IN HOSPITAL, ETC. The term, puerperal insanity, is not only understood to imply aberra- tion of the mind, or derangement of the cerebral functions in the puer- peral state itself, but to include those attacks which occur sometimes during the period of gestation, as well as those which we more frequently meet with some months after parturition, whilst the patient is suckling her infant. From the period of conception, during the whole term of gestation, and up to the termination of suckling, there is an amount of nervous irritability and excitement in the system, which strongly predisposes to cerebral affections; but the two principal epochs at which this excit- ability becomes the most dangerous are immediately after parturition, and at a later period, when the system is exhausted by a too long-conti- nued application of the infant to the breast. We find cases recorded in which cerebral disorder has commenced immediately after conception, and ceased at the period of quickening: in others, again, it has per- sisted throughout the whole term of gestation, but terminated on de- livery taking place; whilst in more rare cases it has still continued until lactation was relinquished. The whole cerebro-spinal system is much excited during pregnancy, and more especially in the puerperal state; the senses are often ex- tremely vivid, and the slightest impressions agitate the mind, which is thus ready to receive any false impressions which may be brought out by a sudden shock, or unexpected and exciting cause: hence the powerful influence of fright, surprise, or other strong emotions, in this condition of the nervous system acting on a mind already disposed to mania by some hereditary influence. It fortunately happens, that it is not often we have the opportunity of observing in private practice this distressing malady; even in the public lying-in establishments of this country, the complaint is much more rarely noticed than it would appear to be in the hospitals of France; and considering that physical and moral causes of disturbance are so rife during pregnancy and labour, it is surprising that the ])roportion of such cases should be so small. B
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