STRUCTURE, FUNCTIONS, AND DISEASES, OF THE FEMALE ORGANS OF GENERATION.
Thefemale genitals occupy the same relative situation in the pelvis as the male, but they are an antithesis to each other. The male are constructed to deposite, and the female to receive; consequently, in the female there is a conduit or passage, in place of the male penis, termed thevagina, leading to the womb—the receptacle for the impregnating fluid. The vagina is placed between the bladder and rectum. Its entrance is marked by doublings, or longitudinal folds of flesh, calledlabia, between the upper part of which is the opening of the urethra into the bladder, while below is occupied by the aperture, passage, or fissure, as above described. At the roof of the vagina is a fleshy ridge, with a pouting apex or point analogous to the penis in the male, except being impervious, and called theclitoris, which possesses the power of erection, or rather of becoming intumescent when excited, and also of furnishing a peculiar secretion. It is exquisitely sensitive, and believed to be the seat of pleasure in the sexual embrace. The vagina consists of a very soft, vascular, elastic, and contracting structure, constituting, when its sides are collapsed, liliputian rugæ, or ridges, like the impressions left on the sand by a receding sea. Its surface is lined by a delicate mucous membrane, which secretes a lubricating fluid. It is this membrane which is the seat of gonorrhœal discharge, fluor albus, &c.; and it is also subject to ulcerations and other diseases. From the clitoris is suspended an inner fold, like a graceful mantle, callednymphæ, which are also extremely sensitive, and appear to serve, as they surround the urethra, also for the purpose of directing the flow of urine. Under the opening of the urethra, adherent to the external margins of the vagina, is a membranous veil, or curtain, with a small central aperture, called thehymen, the presence of which is looked upon as a test of virginity. After the laceration or dilatation of this membrane, which takes place through other causes than sexual intercourse, the sides of it contract, and formlittle wing-like slips, to which the fanciful name ofcarunculæ myrtiformesis applied.
The subjoined diagram will familiarize the reader with the situations of the female organs thus far given. It exhibits a sectional view of the contents of the pelvis, or lower part of theabdomen:—
1. The bladder.2. The urethra, or entrance to ditto.3. The vagina.4. The womb.5. The ovary.6. The fimbria, and fallopian tube.7. The rectum, or lower extremity of the bowel.8. The hymen.View larger image
1. The bladder.
2. The urethra, or entrance to ditto.
3. The vagina.
4. The womb.
5. The ovary.
6. The fimbria, and fallopian tube.
7. The rectum, or lower extremity of the bowel.
8. The hymen.
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1.The bladder.2.The urethra, or entrance to ditto.3.The vagina.4.The womb.5.The ovary.6.The fimbria, and fallopian tube.7.The rectum, or lower extremity of the bowel.8.The hymen.
1.The bladder.2.The urethra, or entrance to ditto.3.The vagina.4.The womb.5.The ovary.6.The fimbria, and fallopian tube.7.The rectum, or lower extremity of the bowel.8.The hymen.
1.The bladder.2.The urethra, or entrance to ditto.3.The vagina.4.The womb.5.The ovary.6.The fimbria, and fallopian tube.7.The rectum, or lower extremity of the bowel.8.The hymen.
1.The bladder.2.The urethra, or entrance to ditto.3.The vagina.4.The womb.5.The ovary.6.The fimbria, and fallopian tube.7.The rectum, or lower extremity of the bowel.8.The hymen.
1.The bladder.
2.The urethra, or entrance to ditto.
3.The vagina.
4.The womb.
5.The ovary.
6.The fimbria, and fallopian tube.
7.The rectum, or lower extremity of the bowel.
8.The hymen.
Much has been said regarding the presence of thehymenin its entire state. It has been deemed by many to be there placed as a moral evidence of chastity; but its laceration is by no means an infallible test of dishonor. In females of feeble or consumptive health, and others of delicate constitutions generally, the aperture of the hymen may become dilated from natural causes—from too profuse a flow of the menstrual flux, from local debility of the part itself, such as exist in the disease known by the name of thewhites; and it is sometimes to be traced to the habit of personal and solitary excitement, as will be presently alluded to. The membrane is occasionally so dense and hard as to resist sexual cohabitation; and only upon dividing it by the scalpel, can intercourse be sustained. At other times it is so fragile and so vascular as to be torn with the least violence, and profuse hæmorrhage to follow.
At the end of the vagina is theuterus. It is suspended by what anatomists call its broad ligaments, which have certain local attachments. It resembles in shape a pear. It is of a peculiar structure, capable of great distension, and possessing extraordinary properties. It is divided into a body, neck, and mouth, and when unimpregnated, is very compact, and occupies but little space. The interior is consequently very small, and it secretes and pours forthat certain periods a sanguinous discharge, termed themenstrua. When conception has occurred, the mouth of the womb, which before was open, becomes permanently closed until the period of delivery. Connected with the womb, and constituting a most important part of its machinery, there are discovered in the roof of the interior of the uterus, two openings, which are the ends of two tubes or canals, called the fallopian tubes.
These tubes have their origin in theovaria, which are two small bodies encased in the ligamentous band supporting the uterus, and resembling the testicle of the male; hence they have been called the femaletestes. These ovaria contain a number of little vesicles of the size of mustard-seeds, and some of the size of a pea, in number from twelve to fifteen. These vesicles are denominated the eggs of the human species. Annexed to the ovaria are observed, surrounding the tubes, certainfimbriæ, which grasp the ovaria during the copulative act, when prolific, and squeeze out, as it were, one of these little eggs, and propel it into the uterus.
Still further to facilitate the understanding of the structures described in addition to the preceding diagram, the following drawing is presented. It exhibits a section of the female pelvis, and explains more fully the relative positions of itscontents:—
a—The bony portion of the pelvis separated from its junction with its companion.b—The spinal column of the back.c—The bladder.d—The orifice of the urethra.e—The body of the womb.f—The neck of the womb.g—The vagina.h—The rectum, or end of the intestines.
a—The bony portion of the pelvis separated from its junction with its companion.
b—The spinal column of the back.
c—The bladder.
d—The orifice of the urethra.
e—The body of the womb.
f—The neck of the womb.
g—The vagina.
h—The rectum, or end of the intestines.
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a—The bony portion of the pelvis separated from its junction with its companion.b—The spinal column of the back.c—The bladder.d—The orifice of the urethra.e—The body of the womb.f—The neck of the womb.g—The vagina.h—The rectum, or end of the intestines.
a—The bony portion of the pelvis separated from its junction with its companion.b—The spinal column of the back.c—The bladder.d—The orifice of the urethra.e—The body of the womb.f—The neck of the womb.g—The vagina.h—The rectum, or end of the intestines.
a—The bony portion of the pelvis separated from its junction with its companion.b—The spinal column of the back.c—The bladder.d—The orifice of the urethra.e—The body of the womb.f—The neck of the womb.g—The vagina.h—The rectum, or end of the intestines.
a—The bony portion of the pelvis separated from its junction with its companion.b—The spinal column of the back.c—The bladder.d—The orifice of the urethra.e—The body of the womb.f—The neck of the womb.g—The vagina.h—The rectum, or end of the intestines.
a—The bony portion of the pelvis separated from its junction with its companion.
b—The spinal column of the back.
c—The bladder.
d—The orifice of the urethra.
e—The body of the womb.
f—The neck of the womb.
g—The vagina.
h—The rectum, or end of the intestines.
The subjoined drawing illustrates the shape and appearance of the womb detached from thebody:—
Described in surrounding textView larger image
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To particularize: The upper part is called thefundus; the widest part, thebody; theneck, the narrow part; and the lower portion themouth, or theos tincæ. The connexion of the fallopian tubes is well shown.
The uterus, or womb, is described by physiologists as being of a spongy structure—a structure that yields with its enlargement—that grows with its growth—that resumes the former size when disburdened of its contents. It is supplied with blood-vessels, is duly supported, has scarcely a cavity when unimpregnated, but is ever in a state of preparation for changes. Of conception we shall presently treat.
There is one function too important to omit in this place, and this is menstruation—a term indicating a monthly periodical discharge that escapes, or which is given off, from the womb. At the commencement of this function, woman is said to have arrived at puberty; but there are cases of precocity, and others wherein it never occurs, that neutralize this assertion; besides, menstruation, being deferred or protracted, depends frequently upon peculiarities of health. As soon, however, as it occurs, a sensible change takes place in the female economy; and certainly the other developments of womanhood rapidly follow.
Menstruation is the monthly discharge of a red fluid, common to females from fifteen or sixteen years of age to between forty and fifty; and it is held that, while a femalemenstruates, she is apt, and capable also, to conceive. Menstruation is a device of nature to relieve the system, or to preserve the balance of the circulation, from the non-fulfilment of her intentions, by the absence of procreation. It usually continues for four, five, or six days, and seldom exceeds a few ounces. Its suppression is usually attended with marked ill health, and many of the formidable complaints of females are attributable to its irregularities. When anticipated, the female encounters feelings of depression and lassitude, and exhibits an aspect of feeble health. As a physiological fact, women, before and after menstruation, are more desirous of the exercise of sexual privileges, and usually the approach of the menstrual flow is accompanied by a sexual orgasm. It has ever been deemed, by almost universal consent, prudent for married persons and others to abstain from the sexual embrace during that period. If only on the score of cleanliness, it should be observed; besides, the likelihood of establishing irritability, and the probability of interfering with this healthful provision of nature, should deter from the indulgence. In some countries, menstruating women are excluded from associating with the other sex altogether, and are even forbid mingling with household duties. At the close of this article will be found a series of prescriptions and suggestions for the removal of the various disturbances this function is liable to.
The act of connexion is urged by what is called the sexual propensity. It is accompanied by feelings of the intensest kind: the acme of enjoyment is at the moment of seminal ejaculation. The penis is excited to erection by the influx or rush of blood into its cavernous or cellular structure; the scrotum becomes constricted, and compresses the testicles; thevesiculæ seminales, and the prostate gland, are also elevated by the muscles calledlevatores ani, as shown in the preliminary anatomical drawings, whence their use may now be better understood, as well as those of the perineal muscles, which all more or less assist in causing the prompt and forcible ejaculation of the spermatic fluid.
“In[7]the female, the sense of enjoyment,sub coitu, appears to be principally excited by the friction of thelabia internaandclitoris, which are alike in a state of turgescence or erection. This nervous excitement, as in themale, often reaches such a degree of intensity that a kind of syncoptic state is induced.” A sense of contented lassitude follows, and the mind is permitted to return from the regions of excited imagination to its ordinary quietude.
The due occurrence of the phenomena just detailed does not necessarily secure, although it generally succeeds in producing, a prolific result. Health, aptitude, and one important condition, are indispensable; and the last is—a positive contact between the male sperm and female ovum.
There are many remarkable eccentricities that embitter married life. A union may exist between two parties who are wholly inapt for mutual enjoyment. The sensations belonging to the sexual act are involuntary, and are provoked independently of the will: hence, in connexion without consent, or under feelings of great repugnance, the orgasm is sometimes aroused; and yet, where the greatest affection and desire prevail, the male oftentimes unseasonably concluding before the female, is a most tantalizing source of disappointment. Further allusions will be found to this subject under the heads of “Sterility,” and “Impuissance.”
As a preliminary aid to the description of the process of impregnation, which ensues, the following anatomical draft ispresented:—
1. Section of the womb, upper part.2. Do. of side.3. Do. of lateral covering.4. Do. of lower part of womb.5. Cavity of the womb.6. A prominence leading from the openings of the fallopian tubes.7. The vagina.8 and 9. Fallopian tube cut open.10 and 16. The fimbriated extremity of do.11. The pavilion.12. The ovary.13. Vesicles in do.14. Continuation of ovary.15. Ligament of do.17. Pavilion of right ovary.18. Right ovary.19. Connecting band.
1. Section of the womb, upper part.
2. Do. of side.
3. Do. of lateral covering.
4. Do. of lower part of womb.
5. Cavity of the womb.
6. A prominence leading from the openings of the fallopian tubes.
7. The vagina.
8 and 9. Fallopian tube cut open.
10 and 16. The fimbriated extremity of do.
11. The pavilion.
12. The ovary.
13. Vesicles in do.
14. Continuation of ovary.
15. Ligament of do.
17. Pavilion of right ovary.
18. Right ovary.
19. Connecting band.
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1.Section of the womb, upper part.2.Do. of side.3.Do. of lateral covering.4.Do. of lower part of womb.5.Cavity of the womb.6.A prominence leading from the openings of the fallopian tubes.7.The vagina.8and9.Fallopian tube cut open.10and16.The fimbriated extremity of do.11.The pavilion.12.The ovary.13.Vesicles in do.14.Continuation of ovary.15.Ligament of do.17.Pavilion of right ovary.18.Right ovary.19.Connecting band.
1.Section of the womb, upper part.2.Do. of side.3.Do. of lateral covering.4.Do. of lower part of womb.5.Cavity of the womb.6.A prominence leading from the openings of the fallopian tubes.7.The vagina.8and9.Fallopian tube cut open.10and16.The fimbriated extremity of do.11.The pavilion.12.The ovary.13.Vesicles in do.14.Continuation of ovary.15.Ligament of do.17.Pavilion of right ovary.18.Right ovary.19.Connecting band.
1.Section of the womb, upper part.2.Do. of side.3.Do. of lateral covering.4.Do. of lower part of womb.5.Cavity of the womb.6.A prominence leading from the openings of the fallopian tubes.7.The vagina.8and9.Fallopian tube cut open.10and16.The fimbriated extremity of do.11.The pavilion.12.The ovary.13.Vesicles in do.14.Continuation of ovary.15.Ligament of do.17.Pavilion of right ovary.18.Right ovary.19.Connecting band.
1.Section of the womb, upper part.2.Do. of side.3.Do. of lateral covering.4.Do. of lower part of womb.5.Cavity of the womb.6.A prominence leading from the openings of the fallopian tubes.7.The vagina.8and9.Fallopian tube cut open.10and16.The fimbriated extremity of do.11.The pavilion.12.The ovary.13.Vesicles in do.14.Continuation of ovary.15.Ligament of do.17.Pavilion of right ovary.18.Right ovary.19.Connecting band.
1.Section of the womb, upper part.
2.Do. of side.
3.Do. of lateral covering.
4.Do. of lower part of womb.
5.Cavity of the womb.
6.A prominence leading from the openings of the fallopian tubes.
7.The vagina.
8and9.Fallopian tube cut open.
10and16.The fimbriated extremity of do.
11.The pavilion.
12.The ovary.
13.Vesicles in do.
14.Continuation of ovary.
15.Ligament of do.
17.Pavilion of right ovary.
18.Right ovary.
19.Connecting band.
Man, unlike other animals, is not smitten with desire to propagate only at particular periods. In sentient beings, every season is favorable to the flame of love.
When conception takes place, the following phenomena are believed to occur: The womb is supposed to participate in the excitement of the sexual act, and at the moment of the orgasm, to receive the male seed, and to mingle with it a fluid of its own. The whole apparatus of the uterus appears influenced at the same time,[8]by a kind of electric irritability. A vesicle, owing to the ovaria being grasped or embraced by the fimbriæ, escapes from its lodgment and enters the fallopian tube, where it bursts, and its albuminous drop is conveyed into the womb.
From the circumstance of the male semen returning from the vagina after copulation, it has been doubted whether it was intended to enter the uterus. It certainly can only enter once,[9]and that when impregnation takes place; and even then a small portion suffices, for immediately after conception the mouth of the womb becomes impermeably closed. The mouth of the womb lies horizontally, like the lips of the face, while that of the orifice of the urethra is arranged perpendicularly: hence the presumption, from this better adaptation to transmit and receive, that the semen to impregnate should enter the uterus.
This question is mooted, because it has been supposed by some that impregnation ensues from the vapor or odor of the male seed ascending to the womb. Contending parties admit, while others deny, that the seed may be, and has been, detected in the womb of females and animals having been slain (or who may have died) during or soon after the act of copulation. Impregnation has followed very imperfect penetration, such as in cases of unruptured hymen, or of disproportion of parts, and other causes needless to insert here, by which the supposition is supported that conception takes place from vaginal absorption; but it must be remembered that the seed is projected generallywith great force, and that the smallest possible quantity is sufficient for impregnation; also, that the vagina possesses a constrictive movement of its own, whereby the seed is carried into the womb.
After the escape of the “albuminous drop,” the vascular membrane which contained it is converted into what is called a corpus luteum; denoting thereby—for it assumes the form, after a while, of a fleshy nucleus—that the female has either conceived, or has been under the influence of strong amatory excitement. Thissalvomust be admitted, for corpora lutea have been discovered in females where intercourse was even impossible; but as this detection of corpora lutea generally corroborates the surmise that so many conceptions have taken place as there are corpora lutea, it is to be presumed that the exception must be owing to some similarly powerful mental, as well as physical excitement.
When impregnation has taken place, the womb begins to enlarge, and become more soft, vascular, and turgid—the wonderful process of fluids assuming the form of solids commences, and within a fortnight an investing membrane is formed, called thedecidua(I will insert as few names as possible), consisting of two kinds of folds, one lining the womb, and the other containing theovumwhich has therein “taken root.” The ovum is now a soft oval mass, fringed with vessels, and composed of membranes containing the early fœtus. See sketch.
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When opened, the fœtus appears surrounded by three distinct membranes: first,the decidua; secondly,the chorion, the inner fold of the former; thirdly,the amnios. The decidua, as before stated, lines the womb; the two others cover the ovum or fœtus. After a time the amnios and chorion become adherent to each other, and a fluid is interposed betwixt the amnios and fœtus, called theliquor amnii. The fœtus, as it advances, is perceived to be hanging by an organized support, called the umbilical chord, floating in the liquor before named.[10]
A draft is here presented of an ovum (a section) of a fortnight old; and adjoining is one just double its age, where the chord will be perceived.
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The following further account may aid the description thus far given. The ovum, protected by a membrane of its own, called the amnios, descends into the uterus, where it takes its hold of the membranes already there—the decidua. It pushes its way before, as exemplified in the subjoineddrawing:—
a—The decidua lining the womb.b—Do. protecting the ovum.c—The upper part of the womb, where the ovum has become adherent.d—The ovum.View larger image
a—The decidua lining the womb.
b—Do. protecting the ovum.
c—The upper part of the womb, where the ovum has become adherent.
d—The ovum.
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a—The decidua lining the womb.b—Do. protecting the ovum.c—The upper part of the womb, where the ovum has become adherent.d—The ovum.
a—The decidua lining the womb.b—Do. protecting the ovum.c—The upper part of the womb, where the ovum has become adherent.d—The ovum.
a—The decidua lining the womb.b—Do. protecting the ovum.c—The upper part of the womb, where the ovum has become adherent.d—The ovum.
a—The decidua lining the womb.b—Do. protecting the ovum.c—The upper part of the womb, where the ovum has become adherent.d—The ovum.
a—The decidua lining the womb.
b—Do. protecting the ovum.
c—The upper part of the womb, where the ovum has become adherent.
d—The ovum.
The next cut shows the advanced condition of thefœtus:—
a—The womb.b—The liquor amnii, with the fœtus.c—The chorion.d—The decidua.e—The opening of the fallopian tubes.View larger image
a—The womb.
b—The liquor amnii, with the fœtus.
c—The chorion.
d—The decidua.
e—The opening of the fallopian tubes.
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a—The womb.b—The liquor amnii, with the fœtus.c—The chorion.d—The decidua.e—The opening of the fallopian tubes.
a—The womb.b—The liquor amnii, with the fœtus.c—The chorion.d—The decidua.e—The opening of the fallopian tubes.
a—The womb.b—The liquor amnii, with the fœtus.c—The chorion.d—The decidua.e—The opening of the fallopian tubes.
a—The womb.b—The liquor amnii, with the fœtus.c—The chorion.d—The decidua.e—The opening of the fallopian tubes.
a—The womb.
b—The liquor amnii, with the fœtus.
c—The chorion.
d—The decidua.
e—The opening of the fallopian tubes.
It will answer no practical usefulness to go through the whole minutiæ of the various physiological changes that take place relative to fœtal growth from the hour of impregnation to that of delivery. What has already been detailed, has been offered to unveil a little of that singular ignorance that exists generally among non-medical persons regarding the history of themselves. “Too much learning is a dangerous thing;” and it will readily be allowed, that a sufficient idea that certain thingshappenis oftentimes as useful as to knowhowthey happen, especially when it belongs to a department requiring much research, time, and ingenuity, thoroughly to understand, and which may chance to be foreign to our ordinary pursuit.
The period consumed in gestation is forty weeks, or nine calendar months, and the time is calculated from a fortnight after the suspension of menstruation. Some married ladies pride themselves upon being able to predict to a day—to tell the precise occasion when they conceive, and which they date from some unusual sensation experienced at the particular embrace which effected the important change. Many medical men disallow that such tokens present themselves, and are opposed to the belief which many mothers entertain, that nature is so communicative; and also are skeptical of those extraordinary influences that every day furnish proofs of maternal imagination, occasioning to the burden they carry, sundry marks, malformations, and monstrosities. Examinations have found that the order of fœtal organization is somewhat as follows: the heart and large vessels, the liver and appendages, the brain, stomach, and extremities. The determination of sex and number has hitherto defied exploration. In the early months of pregnancy the womb maintains its natural position; but as it enlarges, it also emerges from the pelvis into the abdomen. The moment of its slipping out of the pelvis is termed quickening, of which most women are sensible—some fainting on the occasion, others being attacked with nausea, hysteria, and palpitation of the heart. Quickening usually occurs between the fourth and fifth month. The fœtus is then called a child—the law ordaining that, if a woman intentionally procure, or such parties as may assist in so doing, abortion or miscarriage before quickening, it is misdemeanor, if after, murder.
The following diagram is presented to show the situation occupied by the womb containing the child just ready to enter theworld:—
a—The womb.b—The vagina.c—The bladder.d—The rectum.View larger image
a—The womb.
b—The vagina.
c—The bladder.
d—The rectum.
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a—The womb.b—The vagina.c—The bladder.d—The rectum.
a—The womb.b—The vagina.c—The bladder.d—The rectum.
a—The womb.b—The vagina.c—The bladder.d—The rectum.
a—The womb.b—The vagina.c—The bladder.d—The rectum.
a—The womb.
b—The vagina.
c—The bladder.
d—The rectum.
A full pregnant female, like a very corpulent man, walks very erect: hence the popular notion that ladies in the one condition, and gentlemen in the other, do not think meanly of themselves, but strut along well pleased with their own importance. It is an uncharitable idea; the attitude is unavoidable, the head and shoulders being thrown back to counterbalance the protuberance in front—to preserve, in fact, the centre of gravity, to save themselves from falling.
Symptoms of Pregnancy.—Mysterious as is the process of impregnation, there are many forewarnings which, being generally found correct, are useful to be known. Greatas are the changes that take place in the female economy during child-bearing, and productive as they frequently are of serious disturbances to health, it is benevolently ordained that women who fulfil their destiny of becoming mothers, have better health to sustain them through their travail than the single or unprolific. The signs of pregnancy during the first few weeks are very equivocal. The first probability is the suppression of menstruation, which is accompanied by fulness of the breasts, the nipples of which become surrounded by a dark areola; headache, flushing in the face, and heat in the palms of the hands, ensue; also sickness in the morning, and probably an accession of mental irritability; various longings exist—many very ridiculous, others bordering on insanity, and some indicating great perversion of temper, habits, in hitherto well-conducted inclinations.
There are many phenomena more readily discovered by medical men accustomed to the accoucheur’s employment than describable, that indicate pregnancy; the sinking of the abdomen, the descent and closure of the uterus, the altered facial looks, the state of the pulse, &c., &c.
From the fourth month, when the womb ascends into the abdomen, the signs are more positive: the protrusion of the navel, the evident enlargement of the belly, the tenderness and fulness of, and occasional escape of milk from, the breasts, clearly point out the occasion.
About the fifth month, the movements of the child are very apparent to the mother, when all doubt is removed.
There are some conditions of female life that assimilate to pregnancy, and which have defied the judgment of matrons, and even medical men, but they are rare—such as dropsy of the abdomen, or ovaries, tumors, accumulations of wind, &c. These, with the suspension of menstruation (which last is but an uncertain sign, for it may depend upon cold, fever, or inflammation), have destroyed the anticipations of fond wives, and have alarmed those who desire not to become mothers.
Parturitiontakes place at the end of the ninth month; but children born at the end of seven will live, and examples are related of some that have “gone” ten. In France, legitimacy is allowed to children born on the 299th day of pregnancy.
Laboris distinguished by a softening of the soft parts of the female organs of generation, an abundant secretionof mucus, a relaxation of the mouth of the womb, and a forcible contraction of its body. The expulsion of the child is effected by pains of a straining nature. After the birth of the child, the womb contracts to itsnormalor unimpregnated size, giving forth a discharge, called thelochia, that lasts for several days, and the breasts immediately furnish the secretion of milk.
Previously to entering upon the consideration of the diseases arising from infection, and for which this book was originally composed, a word or two may be said upon a condition of the womb, unfortunately of frequent prevalence, calledprolapsus uteri, orfalling of the womb. Such occurrence may take place with single females as well as with married, or those who have borne children. It may be held as the result of debility; and according to the degree of descent is the inconvenience and suffering. The first drawing exhibits the natural position of theuterus:—
Natural position of the uterusa—The vagina.b—The uterus.View larger image
a—The vagina.
b—The uterus.
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Natural position of the uterusa—The vagina.b—The uterus.
a—The vagina.b—The uterus.
a—The vagina.b—The uterus.
a—The vagina.b—The uterus.
a—The vagina.
b—The uterus.
A partial descent of the uterus gives rise to painful dragging sensations about the groins and fundament, and it is usually attended by the “whites,” or leucorrhœa, a disease of which mention is presentlymade:—
Partial descent of the uterus.a, a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.View larger image
Partial descent of the uterus.
a, a, a—Vagina.
b—Uterus.
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Partial descent of the uterus.a, a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Partial descent of the uterus.a, a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Partial descent of the uterus.a, a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Partial descent of the uterus.a, a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Partial descent of the uterus.
a, a, a—Vagina.
b—Uterus.
Ifprolapsustakes place during pregnancy, the womb impresses upon the bladder and rectum, and occasions irritability of both those structures; but as pregnancy advances, and as the womb ascends into the abdomen, these inconveniences cease, and the womb oftentimes regains its tone and position after child-birth. The womb sometimes protrudes externally, and is a source of great distress. Seedrawing:—
Prolapsus uteri.a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.View larger image
Prolapsus uteri.
a, a—Vagina.
b—Uterus.
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Prolapsus uteri.a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Prolapsus uteri.a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Prolapsus uteri.a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Prolapsus uteri.a, a—Vagina.b—Uterus.
Prolapsus uteri.
a, a—Vagina.
b—Uterus.
The treatment in these cases is chiefly mechanical, beside supporting the general health. The first symptoms, however, demand efficient attention, and the medical attendant should be made acquainted with every particular.
It is a question whether the weakened condition of the supports of the womb, and the consequent relaxed state of the vagina, are not owing to the manner in which women clothe themselves. The pelvic part of the female is kept always in a state of unnatural warmth, from the load of petticoats and other unnameable female attire. Contrast but the difference between the simple unlined trowsers of the male and five or six-fold clothing of the other sex: either the one must yield too much warmth, or the other must strike too cold. The sedentary habits of women have of course much influence.
When retention of urine follows the falling down or partial descent of the womb, the female should lie on her back, press the uterus into the pelvis, and urinate in that position.
The womb, beside becoming displaced, is subject to aneversion, or a turning inside out. Happily, such cases are unfrequent, but any disturbance of so important an organ demands the promptest attention.