SECT. LXX.—ON INFLATION OF THE UTERUS.
The uterus becomes distended with air from cold, from abortion, or difficult parturition: its mouth being shut up, or a clot of blood being fastened in it. The air is sometimes contained in the cavity of the uterus itself, and sometimes in the pores of its body. These cases are attended with swelling about the pubes and hypogastrium, with hardness, and a pungent pain, shooting as far as the diaphragm, the stomach, and the groins. When tapped with the fingers it sounds like the swelling of tympanitis. Wherefore it is to be cured, in the first place, by venesection, if nothing prohibits its use; and then, during the exacerbations, by abstinence from food; by embrocations with oil of rue; by hip-baths of the decoction of rue, of pennyroyal, of mugwort, of cassia, and the like; by cataplasms from the seeds of parsley, of cumin, of fennel, of anise, of bishopsweed, and of the flower of iris; by dry cupping, and cupping with scarifications. But when the complaint is protracted, we must have recourse to purging with the hiera picra, dropaces, sinapisms, and the use of the natural baths. Let the midwife introduce her finger well oiled, and extract gently, if possible, the thrombus lying in the womb, by breaking it down, and then apply a cataplasm of figs, of nitre, and of wormwood. Emollient epithemes should be used, such as the Polyarchian, that from seeds, and that from bay-berries. The pessaries should consist of rue, honey, and nitre; but the following one will be particularly applicable: Of fat figs pounded, dr. j; of cumin, dr. ij; of aphronitrum, dr. j. But, owing to its acrimony, let it be previously dipped in milk. Emollient pessaries are also proper.
Commentary. This complaint is mentioned by Hippocrates (Epidem. vii), and by Galen (Meth. Med. xiv, 7, and de Causis Sympt. iii, 2.) Our author’s account of it is taken from Aëtius. Octavius Horatianus and Nonnus direct similar applications, only the former says nothing of bleeding. Haly Abbas, in like manner, omits venesection, but recommends applications consisting mostly of carminative substances, such as parsley, birthwort, dill, rue, and fennel. They are to be used in the form of baths, fomentations, and injections. Alsaharavius recommends bleeding, anointing the womb with oil of rue, baths prepared with rue, chamomile, mace, cumin, &c. cupping-instruments applied to the pubes, and so forth. Avicenna and Rhases refer to Aëtius and Paulus, and treat of the complaint in like manner.
See a full account of this disease by Lodovicus Mercatus (ap. Gynæc. 944.)