Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 13, MAT-MIC

practice. ' M EDI
pally by giving additional vigour to the uterine vef-
1’eb.
In all cafes, the fir ft attention ought to be given to
avoiding the remote caufes, whenever that can be
done ; and by fueh attention the difeafe may be often
entirely cured. When the remote caufes cannot be
avoided, or when the avoiding them has been ne-
glefted, and a copious menftruation has come on, it
ftiould be moderated as much as poflible, by abftain-
ing from all exercife at the coming on or during the
continuance of the menftruation; by avoiding even an
ereft pofture as much as poflible ; by ftumning exter¬
nal heat, and of courfe warm chambers and foft beds j
by ufing a light and cool diet 5 by taking cold drink,
at leaft as far as former habits will allow j by avoid¬
ing venery *, by obviating coftivenefs, or removing it
by laxatives which give little ftimulus. The fex are
commonly negligent, either in avoiding the remote
caufes, or in moderating the firft beginnings of this
difeafe. It is by fuch negledt that it fo frequently
becomes violent and of difficult cure *, and the frequent
repetition of a copious menftruation may be confidered
as a caufe of great laxity in the extreme veflels of the
uterus.
When the coming on of the menftruation has been
preceded by fome diforder in other parts of the body,
and is accompanied with pains of the back, fomewhat
like parturient pains, with febrile fymptoms, and when
at the fame time the flow feems to be copious, a bleed¬
ing at the arm may be proper, but is not often necef-
fary j and it will in moft cafes be fufficient to employ,
with great attention and diligence, thofe means already
mentioned for moderating the difcharge.
When the immoderate flow of the menfes ftiall feem
to be owing to a laxity of the vefiels of the uterus, as
may be concluded from the general debility and laxity
of the perfon’s habit j from the remote caufes that
have occafiorted the difeafe j from the abfence of the
fymptoms which denote increafed aftion in the veflels
of the uterus ; from the frequent recurrence of the
difeafe; and particularly from this, that the female in
the intervals of menftruation is liable to a leucorrhoea :
in fuch a cafe, the difeafe is to be treated, not only by
employing all the means above mentioned for mode¬
rating the haemorrhage, but alfo by avoiding all irrita¬
tion, every irritation having a greater effeft in propor¬
tion as the veflels are more lax and yielding. If, in
fuch a cafe of laxity, it (hall appear that fome degree
of irritation occurs, opiates may be employed to mode¬
rate the difcharge 5 but in ufing thefe much caution is
requifite. If, notwithftanding thefe meafurcs having-
been taken, the difcharge fhall prove very large, aftrin-
gents both external and internal may be employed. In
fuch cafes, Dr Cullen afks, May fmall dofes of emetics
be of fervice ?
When the menorrhagia depends on the laxity of the
iiterine yeflels, it will be proper, in the intervals of
menftruation, to employ tonic remedies 5 as cold bathing
and chalybeates. The exercifes of geftation alfo may
be very ufeful, both for ftrengthening the whole fyftem,
and for taking off the determination of the blood to the
internal parts.
J'hefe remedies may be employed in all cafes of me¬
norrhagia, from whatever caufe it may have proceeded,
CINE. 363
if it fnall have already induced a confiderable degree of I-eucor-
debility in the body.
Sp. II. Abortion.
Menorrhagia abortus, Cu/.
Menorrhagia gravidarum, Sauv. fp. 6.
Abortus effluxio, Sauv. fp. 1.
a, Abortus fubtrimeftris.
b, Abortus fubfemeftris.
c, Abortus octimeftris.
Abortus ab uteri laxitate, Sauv. fp. 2.
Sp. III. Immoderate Flux of the LOCHIA.
Menorrhagia lochialis, Sauv. fp. 8. Cul.
For the defeription, treatment, and cure, of thefe
two laft difeafes, fee Midwifery.
Sp. IV. Immoderate Flow of the MENSES from fome . 249
local diforder.
Menorrhagia vitiorum, Cul.
Menorrhagia ex hyfteroptofi, Sauv. fp. 5.
Menorrhagia ulcerofa, Sauv. fp. 9.
Sp. V. The Leucorrhcea, Fluor Albus, or WHITES. 25*
Menorrhagia alba, Cul.
Leucorrhoea, Sauv. gen. 267.
Menorrhagia decolor, Sauv. fp. 7.
Leucorrhoea Americana, Sauv. fp. 5.
Leucorrhoea Indica, Sauv. fp. 6.
Leucorrhoea Nabothi, Sauv. fp. 9.
Leucorrhoea gravidarum, Sauv. fp. 8.
Defeription. The Jhtor albus, female weaknefs, er
whites, as it is commonly called, is a difeafe of the
womb and its contiguous parts 5 from which a pale-co¬
loured, greenifh, or yellow fluid, is difeharged, attend¬
ed with lofs of ftrength, pain in the loins, bad digef-
tion, and a wan fickly afpedt.
Caufes, &c. The quantity, colour, and confiftence
of the difcharge, chiefly depend upon the time of its
duration, the patient’s habit of body, and the nature
of the caufe by which it was produced. Taking cold,
ftrong liquor, immoderate heat and moifture, or vio¬
lent exercife, are all obferved to produce a bad effedf,
as to its quantity and quality.
Weakly women of lax folids, who have had many
children, and long laboured under ill health, are of
all the moft fubjeft to this difagreeable difeafe 5 from
which they unfortunately fuffer more fevere penance
than others, as the niceft fenfations are often connedled
with fuch a delicacy of bodily frame as fubjefts them
to it.
In Holland it is very frequent, and in a manner pe¬
culiar to the place, from the dampnefs of its fituation j
the furrounding air being fo overcharged with moifture
as to relax the body, flop perfpiration, and throw it
upon the bowels or womb; producing in the firft a
diarrhoea or flux, in the laft the fluor albus or female
weaknefs.
_ The difcharge often proceeds from the veflels fubfer-
vient to menftruation; becaufe, in delicate habits, where
thofe veflels are weak, and confequently remain too
Z z 2 long