On alcoholism in gynaecology and obstetrics / by J. Matthews Duncan.

  • James Matthews Duncan
Date:
1888
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On alcoholism in gynaecology and obstetrics / by J. Matthews Duncan. 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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    continued for some days longer]. Temp., 101°; pulse, 108 ; per- spirations. Peasoup diarrhoea continues. After this I learned that she slowly recovered health and strength. The subject of the influence of chronic alcoholism on the quan- tity and quality of the progeny of those affected has attracted a great amount of attention ; and, while there is unanimity as to the great extent and great potency of the injurious inlluence, it must be admitted that the subject, on its scientitic side, requires much further observation and inquiry. Much difficulty arises from the imperfection of evidence, from the intervention of two parties in eacli case, and from the uncertainty as to the amount of influence of the male or of the female party, or of both. As an example of the evil of one-sided study is the restriction of my own observa- tions almost exclusively to the female party to the conceptions. Further, before this subject can be satisfactorily treated, much more must be made out as to the relations, no doubt very close, of sterility, excessive production, abortion, premature labour, produc- tion of unhealthy children, and survival of children. On these matters I have written at some length in my Gulstonian Lectures on Sterility in Woman, and to them I beg to refer the student, wishing to avoid here nmch recapitulation. Only I may insist on the very close relations referred to, in order to strengthen the general demonstration by the good argument, that evidence in sup- port of one of these results of chronic alcoholism is also evidence in support of the others. Sterility, whether absolute or relative, is often a result of habitual drunkenness, and I have already cited the evidence of Lippich on this point. In practice cases are not rare where fer- tility ensues on change of habit to that of total abstinence from spirituous liquors ; and again cases are not rare where fertility is arrested by soaking, and returns on the bad habit being given up. You rarely (says J. P. Prank) see a woman who drinks much have many children ; or, if she has, they generally die soon. Many authors attest the influence of chronic alcoholism in in- ducing abortion, miscarriage, or premature labour. In his disserta- tion on the drunkenness of women, Michael Alberti, after quoting Paedlinus in his support, says that innumerable instances establish the truth that a woman who is addicted to drunkenness often aborts or brings into the world premature children and children which have the most terrible diseases. To the same effect write J. P. Prankj^ and also Joseph Prank as quoted by Huss.^ Mrs S. was married at 19, and rapidly had one abortion and five children, of which the last was born when she was 24 years of 1 See Frank. System der Polizey, i. Band, S. 556. System einer vollstandigen medicinischen Polizei. Zweite Auflage 1784 S.
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