LACTATION AND THE UTERUS 97 



to nurse, the stream of nutrient material utilized by the Effect of 

 child during gestation is either consumed by the mother {^mother! 

 or excreted through channels other than the mammae; and 

 this may necessitate a considerable readjustment in her 

 metabolism, and be associated with various disturbances. 

 If a woman be delicate and have felt the strain of preg- 

 nancy, during which her tissues may have been depleted 

 of lime salts, mammary inactivity may be a natural 

 method of allowing the mother to recuperate. 



With regard to the benefits which may accrue to the 

 mother if she be able to suckle her child, it is commonly 

 stated that in these circumstances involution of the 

 uterus occurs more quickly and completely than if she 

 be unable to do so. 



Temesvary 1 made observations on this point, and Effect of 

 found a considerable difference in the rate of involution the uterus. 

 in those who suckled and in those who did not. Observa- 

 tions with similar results had been made previously by 

 Mueller 2 , Hansen 3 , and others. 



Pfister 4 , also, studied the relation between lactation 

 and uterine contractions, and found that this was 

 very definite : contractions of the uterus occurred within 

 three or four minutes of the baby being put to the breast, 

 and returned every five minutes during suckling — a 

 phenomenon which was noted up to the eighth day after 

 delivery. It is probable that this effect is the result 

 of a nervous reflex. In Routh's 5 case of paraplegia, 

 however, in which the patient conceived and was able 

 to suckle, the involution of the uterus was normal. 



The ' sucking reflex ', as we may call it, is probably 

 a reverse of the reflex associated with erection of the 

 nipple which has been noted to occur on coitus 1 . 



In spite, however, of the probability of a nervous 



1 Temesvary, R., Journ. Obstet. and GyncecoL Brit. Emp., 1903 

 vol. iii, p. 511. 



2 Mueller, P., Schmidt's Jahr., 1888, vol. ccvii, p. 250. 



3 Hansen, T. B., Zeitschr. f. Oeb. u. Gynak., 1886, vol. xiii, p. 16. 



4 Pfister, M., Beitr. z. Oeb. u. Gynalc, 1901, vol. v, p. 421. 

 * Routh, A., Trans. Obstet. Soc., 1897, vol. xxxix, p. 191. 



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