710 PARTURITION. 
dicinein fudden and dangerous floodings, fuch as have 
been the fubjeCt of the preceding pages; but, where 
the fyinptoms are not very urgent, it maybe ufeful: we 
give it, therefore, merely as a family-receipt. 
“ Take of burnt vitriolated copper, commonly called 
blue vitriol, eight ounces; of dragon’s blood two ounces ; 
of rectified fpirit of wine two pints. Let the ingredients, 
reduced to powder, and put into a matrafs containing 
the fpirit, be digefled in a fand-heat for four days, (ha- 
king up the veffel three or four times a-day, and then let 
the tinCture be decanted off clear for ufe. The burnt 
vitriolated copper is prepared in the fame manner as the 
burnt alum, according to the directions of the College 
of Edinburgh, in their Pharmacopoeia, by putting the 
ingredients into a crucible, and buffering it to remain 
upon the fire until it ceafes to bubble. 
“This preparation firft came into my hands as a nof- 
trum ; and, finding it upon trial to afford relief beyond 
my expectation, I have never ventured to make any alte¬ 
ration in it. With refpeCt to the dragon’s blood, 
if the gum kino were fubftituted in its (lead, it would be 
an improvement fiinilar to that w'hich was made by the 
Edinburgh College, when they reformed the prescrip¬ 
tion for the (lyptic powder, now called the Compound 
Powder of Alum. 
“ My ufual mode of adminiftering the tinCture was by 
giving from forty to fixty drops in an ounce of red-port 
wine mixed with an ounce of water three or four times 
a-day. The dofes have fometimes been enlarged, although 
not often, but generally without any inconvenience. 
The tindture, in fome cafes, may likewife be given with 
propriety, in draughts coinciding with the general inten¬ 
tion. In thefe, the principal ingredient may be either ni¬ 
tre, neutralized fait of wormwood, or the Peruvian bark, at 
the difcretion of the practitioner. Patients with delicate 
ftomachs will fometimes, though rarely, be affeCted with 
a (light degree of naufeafrom the ufe of the tinCture. In 
fuch cafes it will be advifable to omit five or ten drops, 
more or lefs, of the former dofe, until the medicine (hall 
fit eafily upon the (tomach. I know of no other opera¬ 
tive effeCt, except that it fometimes proves rather allringent. 
“ In cafes of confiderable uterine difcharges continuing 
after natural labours or mifcarriages, likewife in cafes of 
menorrhagia, or the overflowing of the menfes in non¬ 
pregnant women, I have experienced the mod extraor¬ 
dinary good effeCls from the adminiftration of this me¬ 
dicine. Some good effeCts have generally been percep¬ 
tible in the courfe of a few days 5 and I have met with 
very few cafes which were not materially relieved by it, 
of which a confiderable number have been perfectly cured. 
Indeed, my reliance on the efficacy of the medicine has 
been fuch, that for more than thirty years pafl I have 
very feldom given it in any other vehicle than a little red 
port and water, or with any other medicine coinciding 
with the fame intention during its ufe.” Duncan’s Med. 
Com. 1795. 
Of Labours attended with violent Emotions of the 
Mind. 
Practitioners of all ages have agreed, that the aCtion of 
the uterus is very much influenced by the mental powers. 
Evidences of this are to be found in many medical re¬ 
cords ; and the faCt is prefented to our view in many oc¬ 
currences of common life. It is, therefore, to be con- 
fidered of importance, that the mind of the parturient 
woman (hould be kept as eafy and tranquil as poflible. 
See p. 680. 
Dr. Merriman was one day fent for in great hade, to 
one of the villages in the neighbourhood of London ; on 
his arrival at the houfe of the patient to whom he was 
called, he found h?r undelivered and quite dead. At 
the moment, little information as to the caufe of her 
death could be obtained; but fome time afterwards the 
following particulars were communicated to him. 
The woman had been fervant to a lady, who was Dr. 
Merriman’s patient; and left her to marry a man, in 
bufinefs as a poulterer. She foon became pregnant, and 
made up her mind to be attended by the doCtor (he had 
been in the habit of feeing at her former miflrefs’s labour#. 
But, when (he mentioned this her intention to her 
hu(band, he objected to it; alleging, that Dr. Merriman 
would not .attend her at fuch a didance, unlefs he re¬ 
ceived a larger fee than it would be prudent in them to 
pay ; and that there was living in their own neighbour¬ 
hood a mod refpeCtable apothecary, who was a cudomer; 
and who, on that and other accounts, was a more proper 
perfon to be employed. A great deal of unpleafant al¬ 
tercation took place between the hu(band and wife upon 
this fubjeCt, which was frequently renewed, and the rela¬ 
tions of both parties were appealed to on the occafion ; 
all, or the majority, of whom thought the hufband right 
in maintaining his opinion, and cenfured the wife as 
pertinacious and felf-willed; fo that (he felt herfelf com¬ 
pelled, though very reluctantly, to give way; and the 
gentleman in quedion, who of courfe knew nothing of 
thefe family-difputes, was engaged to attend her; not- 
withdanding her condant declaration, that “(he hated 
the very fight of him.” 
When the fird fymptoms of labour came on, and her 
nurfe and fome female friends were affembled, it was 
propofed that her accoucheur (hould likewife be fent 
for; but (he begged that he might not, as (he was fure 
(he was not bad enough yet. After a time it was again 
propofed to fend for him, but (he dill objected. Again 
and again her friends tried to prevail upon her to fee 
him, but all in vain : if it had been her own doCtor, as (he 
termed it, (he would willingly, (he faid, fee him ; but, as 
it was, Mr. J-(hould not come near her till he was 
really wanted. At length, one of the women in the 
room, difguded with fo much obdinacy, went down flairs, 
and told the hulband, that the prefence of her medical 
attendant was abfolutely required; and accordingly he 
was immediately fent for. Unfortunately, and certainly 
very inconfiderately, he was, on his arrival, without 
being announced, introduced at once into her room. 
The (hock of thus fuddenly and unexpectedly feeing 
the man againd whom (he had been long nouri(hing 
fuch a perverfe didike, occafioned her to fcream out, and 
(he fell back upon the bed in a fit, from which (he never 
recovered. In the confufion which enfued, a meffenger 
was fent in great hade to London for Dr. Merriman ; but, 
as already dated, before he arrived at the houfe, the 
woman was quite dead. No attempt had been made to 
extraCl the child, nor could leave be obtained to open 
the body ; fo that the immediate caufe of her death was 
never difcovered ; but that the fudden emotion was the 
exciting caufe, feems unqueflionable. 
Such extreme cafes as this rarely occur; but various 
kinds of mental excitements continually prevail, and 
without producing the more violent ill-confequences, 
tend however to didurb and interrupt the favourable 
procefs of child-birth. The influence of mental emo¬ 
tions over the aCt of parturition was flrongly and very 
extenfively exemplified, not long fince,on the occafion of 
the fudden deceafe, immediately after delivery, of an 
illudrious and mod amiable perfonage. And indeed that 
calamitous event was found to operate unfavourably on 
the minds of patients in a certain rank of life for fome 
confiderable time afterwards. The death of Dr. Croft, 
in confequence of having met with fome untoward acci¬ 
dents, is frefli in every one’s memory. 
Management of Mother and Child after Delivery. 
The following directions are chiefly from Dr. Con- 
qued’s Outlines of Midwifery. 
Suppofing the child and placenta to be expelled, the 
accoucheur being fatisfied that the uterus is well con¬ 
tracted ; the bandage which had been paffed loofely round 
the abdomen previous to delivery is to be moderately 
tightened 5 and, after the removal of any coagula that 
may 
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