Femina, A Work for Every Woman

by John A. Miller

HYGIENIC MEASURES FOR CATARRHAL DISEASES OF THE FEMALE ORGANS.

No treatment for catarrhal inflammations in general and of the pelvic organs in particular is certain and complete without special attention being given to certain laws or rules that are laid down for the preservation and attainment of health, and these comprise one of the collateral departments of medical science which is termed hygiene.

What the skin or integument is to the exterior of the body, the mucous membrane which lines the respiratory passages and other organs is to the interior of the body.

The mucous membrane is only a modification of the skin, and while it differs in its glandular composition in the different organs that it lines, in the main, it retains the common characteristics of the skin or outer covering of the body.

The corium or fibrous layer of the mucous membrane is analogous to the derma of the skin; and it is in fact a continuation of it at the orifices of the body.

The corium of the mucous membrane supports an epithelial layer of cells that are of various forms, differing in the different organs that it lines.

Underneath the corium of the mucous membrane there is the fibrovascular layer, which contains the blood vessels, lymphatics and nerves and embedded in the epithelial cells supported by the corium are the numerous mucous glands or follicles. In some portions of the mucous tract and projecting out of it are little elevations called villi or papillæ, analogous to the papillæ of the skin.

These glands and papillæ exist only at certain parts and are modified according to the function that the organ performs. The mucous glands of the stomach differ from those of the intestines, and those of the mouth from those of the bronchial tubes. The mucous membrane of the womb differs from all the rest, by having no submucous or fibrovascular layer; the mucous glands of the womb are imbedded and extend directly into the muscular tissue of the organ. The secreting glands, which form a special feature of mucous membranes, are abundantly supplied by small capillary blood vessels and nerves, so that any disturbance of the general or systemic circulation or a derangement of the nervous system will at once greatly influence the healthy or normal secretion of the membrane, just exactly as the skin is affected by cold or fright.

In order to appreciate all the causes that operate for either good or evil, we must pause for a moment and consider the sympathy with and the close relation of the mucous membrane to the circulation of the blood and the nervous system. The mucous membrane of the different organs is often made the safety valve through which obnoxious materials or morbid conditions of the blood are eliminated from the system, and for that reason I have long ago discarded the usual harsh measures in the treatment of sudden or acute catarrhs. I have found that, by carefully watching and giving close attention to the details of certain rules of health, catarrhs speedily disappear of their own accord: on the other hand, if irritating local remedies are constantly used, catarrhs continue to grow worse.