VOL. XXXIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 3 



SO sensibly affected by a pain, which then seized her in the left side, between 

 the umbilicus and groin, that she has scarcely ever been free from it since, but 

 it has troubled her more or less, during 13 years. For 1 years past she has 

 been extremely uneasy, her belly has grown very large, and a difficulty of 

 breathing has increased continually on her ; so that for the last 6 months, she 

 has breathed with the utmost difficulty. In all that time, she has scarcely 

 eaten as much as would nourish a sucking child; and for 3 months together 

 she has been forced to lie constantly on her back, not daring to move at all, to 

 either side. 



I found this tumor grown to so monstrous a bulk, that it engrossed the 

 whole left side, from the umbilicus to the pubes, and stretched the abdominal 

 muscles, to a great degree. It drew towards a point. From being obliged to 

 lie continually on her back, she was grievously excoriated, which added much 

 to her sufferings, and together with want of rest and appetite, had greatly 

 emaciated her. 



The operation of puncturing the abdomen being proposed, she consented: 

 accordingly with an imposthume lancet I laid open about an inch, but finding 

 nothing issue, I enlarged it 2 inches, and even then nothing came forth but a 

 little thin yellowish serum, so I ventured to lay it open about 'I inches more: I 

 was not a little startled, after so large an aperture, to find only a glutinous sub- 

 stance bung up this orifice. The difficulty was, how to remove it; I tried my 

 probe, and endeavoured with my fingers, but all was in vain ; it was so slippery 

 that it eluded every touch, and the strongest hold I could take. 



I wanted in this place almost every thing necessary, but bethought of a very 

 odd instrument, yet as good as the best in its consequence, because it an- 

 swered the end proposed. I took a strong fir-splinler, such as the poor in that 

 country use to burn instead of candles; I wrapped about the end of this splinter 

 some loose lint, and thrust it into the wound, and by turning and winding it, 

 I drew out above 1 yards in length of a substance thicker than any jelly, or 

 rather like glue fresh made and hung out to dry; its breadth was above lO 

 inches ; this was followed by Q full quarts of such matter, as is met with in 

 steatomatous and atheromatous tumors, with several hydatides, of various 

 sizes, containing a yellowish serum, the least of them larger than an orange, 

 with several large pieces of membranes, which seemed to be parts of the dis- 

 tended ovary. I then squeezed out all I could, and stitched up the wound in 

 three places, almost equi-distant : I was obliged to make use of Lucatellus's 

 balsam, to cover a pledget, the whole length of the wound, and over that laid 

 several compresses, dipped in warm French brandy ; and because I judged that 

 the parts might have lost their spring, by so vast and so long a distention, I 



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