ABO 



ABO 



P;>.ri?, fer occifioniiig the deatli of a lady there, hy an at- 

 tempt to procure abortion by this method. On her trial 

 (he laid flic had freqi.iently praftilcd it with fucccfs ; but, in 

 this cafe, it feems, the intlrument had pierced the body of 

 tlie uterus, infl:ead of pailuig tiirough the os internum. 



This operation will be again noticed, when treating of 

 thofe kinds of laborious parturition, where the diiuculty is 

 otcaffoned by the bones of the pelvis being fodiilcrtcd, and 

 the cavity thence fo reduced in ti/.e, as to render the paf- 

 fage of a mil grown foetus through it totally imprafticable. 

 In thofe cafes, it has been lately difcovered, the operation 

 may be performed with perfeft'fafety, and with etiual ad- 

 vantage both to the child and to the mother. See La- 

 bour. 



A peculiar delicacy, or irritabiUty of habit, diflinft from 

 weaknefs, though perhaps rarely occurring, but in debili- 

 tated conllitutious, may be alio reckoned among the caufes 

 of abortion. This habit of body feems in a peculiar man- 

 ner, and almoil e!cclufively, to belong to perfons living in 

 the higher ranks of life, who life late hours, frequent large 

 and crouded aflerablies, He much in bed, and indulge in 

 rich and delicate food. The fudden opening of a door, or ap- 

 pearance of a pcrfon not expefted, or any thing exciting 

 the leaft fin-prile, will often, in fuch conilitutions, be fuffi- 

 cient to produce abortion. That this h not occafioncd 

 merely by weaknefs of conilitution is evident, as veiy weak- 

 ly, and even confumptive perfons, are found to conceive more 

 frequently, to be more tenacious of-'tlkeir offspring, and ge- 

 nerally to produce larger and fircnger children, than many 

 women of luperior general health. 



As the caufes ot abortions, and the conftitutions moil 

 prone to it, are fo various, the m.odes of preventing it, or of 

 conducting perfons through it, mufl; vaiy Hkewife. One of 

 the earlieft fymptoras announcing an approaching abortion, is 

 a fenfe of fulnels, of weight, orheavincfs, at the lower part 

 of the abdomen ; this is foon followed by pains in the loins and 

 thighs, and if thefe pafs unnoticed, v/hieh is not uncommonly 

 the cafe, a difcharge of blood, more or lefs profufe, accord- 

 ing to the conftitution of the woman, takes place : this, if 

 accompanied with pains, recumng at intervals fimilar to 

 thofe of labour, ulually continues until the ovum is ex- 

 cluded. Sometimes the difcharge of blood abates, or en- 

 tirely ceafes for iix, eight, ten, or more days, and then re- 

 c\n's again, ufually with greater violence ; and intermifiions 

 of this kind fometiines happen three or more times, before 

 the fruit is excluded. On the other hand, it fometimes hap- 

 pens, that after a woman has fulfered two, three, or more 

 tffufions of blood in this way, theyceafe; the part of the 

 placenta that had been detached reuniting itfelf to the uterus, 

 and the woman goes on to her full time. Thefe circiunftances 

 only happen in thofe abortions that occur within the firlt 

 three, four, or at the lateft five months, which are rarely 

 attended with danger. Difcharges of blood occurring at a 

 later period, although they alfo fometimes ceafe, and recur 

 again at intervals, never completely leave the woman until 

 tiie fcctus and involucra are excluded, which ordinarily does 

 not happen until fo much blood has been loft as to deflroy 

 the life of the foetus, and to put that of the m.other alfo in- 

 to extreme danger. 



Tf a pregnant wom.an of a fanguine temperament, fliodd 

 be feizcd with pain in the loins, and with difcliarges of blood 

 from the vagina, fix or eight ounces of blood may be ad- 

 vantageoufly drawn from the arm, which will divert the cur- 

 rent of blood from the part. The bowels are next to be 

 opened with fome mild purgative ; fhe muft be kept qtnet, 

 but not connned to the bed ; be put upon a cooling regimen, 



Vol. I. 



and take a powder confiding of twenty grains of nitre, i'>nd tlie 

 fame quantity of the compound powder of gum tragacnnth, 

 twice or three times in the day, mixed with barley water. 

 A tea-fpoonful may be taken every night, of an eleflaiy 

 confifting of, lenitive elec\uary, two ounces ; cream cf 

 tartar, and flowers of fulphur, of each two drams ; jalap, 

 one dram ; fvrup of rofes, a fufltcient quantity to give it 

 a proper coniillence. For women who are cafily moved, a 

 fcruple, or half a dram of jalap, mav be fuRicient, or thirty 

 grains of rhubarb maybe fubftituted for the jalap. If t!ie 

 woman fliould be only three or four months advanced in lier 

 pregnancy, and the foetus fliould not be dead, or the ovum 

 entirely feparated from the uterus, the above may be fufficient 

 to preierve it, and prevent the abortion. In the cafe of women 

 of more relaxed and delicate conilitutions, the bleeding mud 

 be omitted, but the eleftuary with the rhubarb mull be 

 given every night, and inftead of the powder with nitre 

 and gum tragaeanth, a decoction of liark, with a few 

 drops of the vitriolic acid may be given ; or the fol- 

 lowing : 



IjL Mucilag. gum.mi arabici Jij. 

 Olei terebinth, gtt. xl. 

 Syrup, nib. 1 15. aquK jV. 



Spirit, nucis mofchatiE 3 is. m. capiat oegra coeh- 

 Ixaria tria ter in die. 



If naufea prevails, fo that the ftomach with difficulty re- 

 tains either food or medicines, or if the bowels are too loofe, 

 twelve or fifteen grains of ipecacuanha may be given in a 

 fpoonful of water, as an emetic, and the following drauglit 

 at night : 



1^ Pulv. radiels rhei gr. yi. ConfeAionis aromaticae 3i. 

 Spt. nucis mofehatx 3i- Tinclura: opij gtt. xij. 

 Aqure' |ii!. m. 



Under this treatment, if the foetus cannot be prefervcd, 

 the hemorrhage will be rellrained, and the abortion will 

 happen without doing any material injuiy to the conftitu- 

 tion. 



Abortions occurring at the times we have mentioned, are 

 rarely attended with danger, and never require manual aflift- 

 ance. Thofe occurring later, I'iz. after the fixth month, 

 if the hemorrhage (hould not be reftrained by the means 

 here propofed, or fliould return, which ufually liappens, 

 often require manual alTiftance, and muft be treated in the 

 fame manner as when hemorrhage occurs in women who 

 have attained the full term of geftation. See Labour. 



Perfons adminillering drugs to pregnant v^-omen, with the 

 view of procuring abortion, or even women taking medi- 

 cines, or ufing means for that piu-pofe, have in moft civili/ed 

 countries, and from a very early period, been fubjecled to 

 certain penalties. 



The ancient Greek legifiators, Solon and lycurgus, pro- 

 hibited the praftice of producing abortion. Whether or not 

 it was permitted among the Rom.ans, has been much dif- 

 puted, between two learned modern civilians. It is certain 

 the praftice, which was by them called vifrtrilus I'lm wfcrre, 

 was frequent enough : but whether there was any penalty an- 

 nexed to it, before the emperors Severus and Antonine, is the 

 queftion. Noodt maintains the negative ; and farther, that 

 thofe princes only made it criminal in one particular cafe ; 

 I'/s. of a married woman's praftifing it out of refentment 

 againft her hnfband, in order to defraud him of the com- 

 fort of children ; this was ordered to be puniflied by a 

 tem.porary exile : Jiqua pntgnnrs lim ■vifccribiis fu'ti intuknt 

 >if hiinuco mnrilo Jilhim frocrecrel, tcmpnrali ex'ilio coerctntur. 

 He adds, that there was no general prohibition of the 

 pradlice before Gratian and Valens. It is true we find hi 



G Cicero 



