Outlines of the theory and practice of midwifery / by Alexander Hamilton, M.D. F.R.S. ; Professor of midwifery in the university, and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh.

  • Hamilton, Alexander, 1739-1802.
Date:
1794
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of the theory and practice of midwifery / by Alexander Hamilton, M.D. F.R.S. ; Professor of midwifery in the university, and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    gain into a relaxed Mate with refpect. to the reft of the fyftem. Xhis emptied and relaxed flateof the veifels of the uterus will give occafion to a new congeftion of blood in them, till they are again brought to that degree of diftention that may either force their extremities, or produce a new haemorrhagic effort, that may have the fame effect. Thus an evacua- tion of blood from the uterus, being once begun by the caiifes before mentioned, it muft, by the operation of the fame caufes, return after a certain period, and muft continue to do fo till particular circumftances occafion a confiderable change in the conftitution of the uterus. What determines the periods of thefe returns to be nearly in the fpace of a month, he cartnot exact-ly explain ; but fuppofes it to depend upon a certain balance be- tween the veflels of the uterus and thofe of the other parts of the body. This muft determine the firft periods ; and when it does fo, it cannot be underftood, that a confiderable increafe or dimi- nution of the quantity of blood in the whole fyf* tern will have but little effect, in increafihg or di- minifhing the quantity diftributed to the uterus. It mav alfo be further obferved, that when the evacuation has been repeated for fome time at reg- ular periods, it may be fuppofed that the power of habit, which fo readily takes place in the animal fyftem, may have a great (hare in determining the periodical motions of the uterus to be with great regularity, though in the mean time confiderable changes