NO. II.
| Take: | Bicarbonate of soda | 2 drams |
| Subcarbonate of bismuth | 2 drams | |
| Tr. of nux vom. | 2 drams | |
| Fluid ex. of rhubarb | 3 drams | |
| Simple syrup | 1 ounce | |
| Peppermint water sufficient to make | 8 ounces |
Take a tablespoonful three times a day, and if the bowels move freely take less.
Hygiene in the treatment of every disease is to be an important factor; all vicious habits must be abandoned.
DYSMENORRHŒA.
Difficult or painful menstruation is the definition of the above word; all painful menstrual disorders that take place either before or during the menstrual flow come under this designation.
The seat of the pain, when of a colicky nature, is in the uterus; when a continuously dull ache is in the small of the back, it is located in the nervous plexus in the small of the back. The pain is very often in the ovaries and in that portion of the peritoneal membrane which folds over all the pelvic organs and extends on the sides of the womb, constituting the broad ligaments; when the pain is confined to these structures, it is principally felt below the stomach and over the lower part of the bowels.
Painful menstruation is a prominent symptom of a great many diseases, and it often strains the ingenuity of the most clever specialist to trace the symptoms to their real cause.
Obstructive dysmenorrhœa, as its name implies, is due to some hindrance or obstacle to the escape of blood from the cavity of the womb. The obstruction may exist in the neck of the womb, at its mouth, or in the vagina. When the obstruction is in the neck of the womb, it may be congenital or date from birth. The constriction or narrowness may be due to an acquired inflammation of the lining membrane of the neck of the womb. Every inflammation causes a swelling of the tissues, and if the inflammation continues, the swelling becomes permanent and a stricture is the result.
Such strictures are often the result of the applications of strong caustics and meddlesome tampering by the ignorant specialist and abortionist. The application of the electrical current by means of the uterine electrode is the most modern and effectual method of treating these cases successfully.