Volume 1

The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others].

Date:: 1908-1909

Credit: The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$assisted ])ersi)irati()n. There was f^reat need of such a procedure in foriuer })ie-aiitiseptic time.'*, ou account of the tre(|ueut ()ccurreuce of puerpi'ial fevei. It is imperative to avoid digestive disturbances ; not because they ina^ ])e the cause of ]')ueipeial fever, but because such disturbances readiK’ occur during confinement, and interfere with the proper involution of the ]:)elvi-abdominal viscera and with the secretion of milk. Taking into con- sideiation the ^act that the diet shoultl l)e easily digestible, and remembering its effect on the secretion of milk, the following dietary is ad\'isable in cases of confinement : During the first three days liquid food only should be given, particularly milk, sweetened water, cocoa without spices, and eggs ; a small quantity of zwieback or dry toast may be added. From the fourth to the sixth day (if the bowels have moved) the diet may include also some whi A' meat, the sweetbread or brains of calves, squabs, white bread, and stewed fruits. After the seventh day beef (roasted, broiled, or smoked), ham, vegetables easy of digestion, and light jiuddings may be eaten. Spices, alco- holic drinks, food insufficiently cooked, fat meat or pork, unripe fruits, salads, and bread or pastry not readily digestible should be entirely avoided. An inclination of the womb to retroflexion, dropping, and lu'olapse, which frequently accompanies a tendency to pendulous abdomen, is also best overcome during confinement. For women who are thus afflicted, a lateral position is best ; but above all else they must be scrupulous about emptying the bladder at regular intervals. Apart from the healing of the womb, it is necessary that all tears in the perineum should be immediatelv repaired, for experience teaches that otherwise there will l)e insufficient support for the generative^irgans, thus contributing to the causes of sinking and prolapse of the womb. The sewed wound must be carefully treated and kept clean ; otherwise it will not heal. The patient’s room should contain only such furniture as is necessary, and everything which tends to collect dust should be taken out. The room should not be kept dark, and must at all times be well ventilated ; heavy draperies are, therefore, superfluous, or even harmful. Fsually, the patient is confined in her own bedroom. For the sake of good health in general, a bedroom must never have damp walls, and to avoid this is especially impor- tant in cases of confinement ; in the winter the room should have proper heating facilities. No bed which has previously been occupied by a patient suffering from an infectious disease should ever be used in a case of confine- ment, unless everything connected with it has been thoroughly disinfected bv ])rofessional disinfectors. The mattress, especially, should be dry and clean. The sheets, pillows, and covers must be clean and perfectly dry, and this applies also to the linen worn by the patient. The bedpan, chamber- pot, svringe, etc., must be in faultless condition j the syiinge should be provided with four to five feet of rubber tubing and two glass tubes; Near the expected time of confinement, it is advisable to give the room a tliorougli$