_Of the Weeping of the Womb._
The weeping of the womb is an unnatural flow of blood, coming from it in
drops, like tears, and causing violent pains in it, and occurring at no
fixed period or time. By some it is supposed to be produced by the
excessive flow of the courses, as they flow copiously and freely; this
is continued, though only little at a time, and accompanied by great
pain and difficulty of passing it, and on this account it is compared
to the strangury.
The cause is in the power, instrument or matter; in the power, on
account of its being enfeebled so that it cannot expel the blood, and
which, remaining there, makes that part of the womb grow hard, and
distends the vessels, and from that, pains in the womb arise. In the
instrument, from the narrowness of the passage. Lastly, it may be the
matter of the blood which is at fault, and which may be in too great
quantities; or the quality may be bad, so that it is thick and gross and
cannot flow out as it ought to do, but only in drops. The signs will
best be ascertained by the patient's own account, but there will be
pains in the head, stomach and back, with inflammation, difficulty of
breathing and excoriation of the matrix. If the patient's strength will
permit it, first open a vein in the arm, rub the upper parts and let a
cord be fastened tightly round the arm, so that the force of the blood
may be carried backward; then apply such things as may relax the womb,
and assuage the heat of the blood, as poultices made of bran, linseed,
mallows, dog's mercury and artiplex. If the blood be viscous and thick,
add mugwort, calamint, dictain and betony to it, and let the patient
take about the size of a nutmeg of Venic treacle, and syrup of mugwort
every morning; make an injection of aloes, dog's mercury, linseed,
groundsel, mugwort, fenugreek, with sweet almond oil.
Sometimes it is caused by wind, and then bleeding must not be had
recourse to, but instead take one ounce of syrup of feverfew; half an
ounce each of honey, syrup of roses, syrup of stachus; an ounce each of
calamint water, mugwort, betony and hyssop, and make a julep. If the
pain continues, use this purge:--Take a drachm of spec. Hitrae, half an
ounce of diacatholicon, one ounce of syrup of roses and laxative, and
make a draught with a decoction of mugwort and the four cordial flowers.
If it proceeds from weakness, she must be strengthened, but if from
grossness of blood, let the quality of it be altered, as I have shown in
the preceding chapter. Lastly, if her bowels are confined, move them by
an injection of a decoction of camomiles, betony, feverfew, mallows,
linseed, juniper-berries, cumminseed, aniseed, melilot, and add to it
half an ounce of diacatholicon; two drachms of hiera piera, an ounce
each of honey and oil and a drachm and a half of sol. nitre. The patient
must abstain from salt, acid and windy food.
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