CONVULSIONS. 391 



also, at full term, the foetus is often lost; neverthelsss it is incorrect, 

 ■with some authors, to state that the loss of the child almost always 

 occurs where the attack of puerperal convulsions is somewhat 

 severe. Mauriceau, De la Motte, Levret, Smellie, Baudelocque, 

 the cases gathered or collected by MM. Bouteilloux, J. C. Bau- 

 delocque, Madame Lachapelle, &c. afford proof enough of the 

 contrary. 



895. Treatment. A disease exhibiting itself under forms so 

 diverse, and in such various degrees, cannot be cured by a treat- 

 ment that is alike in all cases: it is therefore not astonishing that 

 we have so many boasted remedies for it. There are few sub- 

 stances among the anti-spasmodics, the sedatives, the narcotics, the 

 revulsives and the anti-phlogistics, which have not had their vogue; 

 but as there is always too much disposition to generahse, in thera- 

 peutics as Avell as in the other branches of medicine, facts have not 

 been wanting to prove that such or such an article, puffed beyond 

 measure by different physicians, is more injurious than useful in 

 eclampsia. 



Ether, balm water, orange-flower water, and mint water, mixed 

 in various proportions with infusions of linden flowers, wild poppies, 

 orange leaves, lettuce water, &c. and with some sedative syrup, are 

 not to be neglected in a number of cases where the convulsions have 

 more analogy with hysteria or epilepsy than with apoplexy, especi- 

 ally if the patient is nervous, very excitable, or lymphatic rather than 

 plethoric and sanguine. 



In these cases, also, the syrup of clove pinks, of white poppies, of 

 diacodium, pills of cynoglossus, the extract and tinctures of opium, 

 may be usefully given, either alone, or added to the above mentioned 

 vehicles, or under some other form, and combined in some other 

 manner. 



896. Rigidity, scirrhous induration and spasmodic contraction of 

 the OS uteri being sometimes the only, or at least the principal cause 

 of convulsions, we ought not to omit to examine it carefully. Pro- 

 vided that it should seem to be the point of departure for the disease, 

 we should apply to it some of the opiate cerate, from which M. 

 Schweighaeuser asserts that he obtained very successful results, or 

 what is better still, the belladonna ointment. Were it really too hard 

 to be overcome by the efforts of the womb, I do not see that it would 

 be possible to dispense with incising the neck. Upon this subject 

 the fears of Madame Lachapelle are, to say the least, exaggerated: for 

 I have not learned that the passage of the head, after this operation, 

 has in any case enlarged the wound, so as to perforate the peritoneum. 

 However, notwithstanding what has been said by M. Bodin, it is a 



