394 DYSTOCIA. 



900. Oily or irritating injections of all sorts are frequently used 

 in England, and not without success. In France, they prefer ex- 

 ternal revulsives, sinapisms or sinapised cataplasms, to the feet, legs, 

 or thighs, a large blister on the back of the neck, and dry frictions 

 along the spine, and on the limbs. Madame Lachapelle, who does 

 not place much confidence in them, and is even afraid of them where 

 there is a threatening of inflammation in any one of the organs, also 

 rejects the employment of digitalis and camphor, to which Hamilton 

 attributes very great virtue, and blames the condnct of our transma- 

 rine neighbors, which consists in a recourse to purgatives and even 

 to emetics, after bleeding. Without charging myself with the de- 

 fence of the accoucheurs of Great Britain, I cannot, however, omit 

 to observe, that out of twenty-two women treated by bleeding, calo- 

 mel in purging doses, neutral salts given by the mouth or by injec- 

 tion, and lotions made with liquid acetate of ammonia or spirit of 

 rosemary, to the head, Merriman lost only six, while in spite of the 

 energy of the practice employed at the Maternite, they have almost 

 as many deaths as cures in that institution. 



The digitalis purpurea, which is recommended by Hamilton, may 

 be tried in convulsions preceded by oedema of the limbs. The seton 

 in the back of the neck, as advised by M. C. Baudelocque, ought 

 not to be employed until all other remedies have been found insuffi- 

 cient; raoxas and scarified cups are not likely to be at all more suc- 

 cessful than leeches and the common revulsives. 



901. To conclude, bleeding from the arm, the foot, or the jugular 

 vein, is useful, and oftentimes even indispensable, in the convulsions 

 of pregnant and puerperal women, whether of a slight or severe 

 character, where the patient is young, strong, and of a good consti- 

 tution, and not exhausted by preceding hemorrhages. Local blood- 

 letting is the only kind we can resort to where the convulsions super- 

 vene upon a flooding, or in persons who have been debilitated in any 

 way, or those of a lymphatic constitution, &c. In that case, if they 

 occur after delivery, and the lochias have ceased to flow, leeches may 

 be applied to the labia or to the groin, as recommended by M. C. 

 Baudelocque, otherwise they should be applied to the mastoid apo- 

 physes, according to the counsel of Chaussier. 



When the vascular system has been depleted, if the state of the 

 patient admits of it, a tepid bath should be prescribed; if irritation 

 or spasmodic contraction of the os uteri appears to be the cause of 

 the phenomena, some opium cerate, or belladonna ointment should 

 be applied to it. After a flooding, or a painful or fatiguing labor 

 or delivery of the placenta, some analeptic broths and a iew spoon- 

 fuls of sound wine will occasionally be found the best remedies that 



