512 SYMPHYSEOTOMY. 



the hips or whole pelvis, either with the hands or a suitable bandage, 

 so as to prevent the articulations from being too much lacerated by 

 the eccentric pressure of the fogtal head or the efforts of the ac- 

 coucheur. 



1133. Dressing. When the delivery is complete the woman is 

 to be cleansed; the pubes are brought into contact with each other; 

 some lint, spread with cerate, and some compresses are to be placed 

 over the womb; a body bandage passed round the pelvis keeps every 

 thing in place, and should be sufficiently tight to prevent, at least to a 

 certain extent, a new separation of the bones from taking place; the 

 patient being now put to bed, ought to lie on her back, and be kept 

 in a stale of the most perfect rest; her thighs especially ought not 

 to move for six weeks or two months, a period of time which is in- 

 dispensably necessary for the consolidation of the symphyses; she is 

 also to be kept upon the regimen proper in serious operations, and if 

 any accidents make their appearance, they must be vigorously com- 

 bated. 



The discharge of the lochite must be carefully attended to, and if 

 they threaten to disappear too scon, emollient or detergent injec- 

 tions should be thrown into the vagina, and the woman should be 

 advised, if she can, to suckle the child, and care must be taken to 

 preserve the lips of the wound in constant contact. When the term 

 of cure approaches, motion, and particularly walking, should not be 

 allowed except with great reserve. Should there still remain any 

 mobility and pain in the pelvis, recourse must again be had to rest 

 for a longer or shorter period, and it often happens that walking and 

 standing cannot be permitted without danger for three or four months. 

 Doubtless nothing can be more desirable than the consolidation of 

 the divided symphysis; but there have been women in whom it 

 could not be obtained, and who were notwithstanding able to walk, 

 stand, and leap, without sensible inconvenience, which is to be ex- 

 plained upon the supposition that the posterior symphyses had ac- 

 quired a great degree of firmness. MM. Mansuy and Dubois have 

 each related a case of this sort. A. Leroy and M. Lescure even go 

 so far as to say that it ought to be promoted by omitting any ban- 

 dage round the pelvis; they say, and perhaps they are not wholly 

 wrong, that the space between the symphysis fills with a cellulo- 

 fibrous tissue, which does not prevent the articulation from being 

 firm, and also allows the woman to bear children subsequently with 

 much greater facility. 



1134. Results. Upon the whole, when we consider that out of 

 forty-three women who have undergone the operation of symphy- 

 seotomy fourteen died; that several remained crippled for life, par- 



