Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1876 edition. Excerpt: ...Women who have previously had children are more or less troubled with "after-pains," the result of postpartum uterine contractions; to a certain extent these contractions are useful in promoting the expulsion of clots, shreds of decidua, etc., but when excessive they must be checked by the administration of opiates, otherwise they deprive the patient of sleep and weary her by their frequent recurrence, every fresh application of the child to the breast being sufficient to induce them by reflex action. Primiparae are not troubled with afterpains; multipane suffer in direct ratio to the number of children they have borne. Lactation occurs in the majority of women without much trouble; in some, milk is present before delivery, in others it does not appear until three or four days after. The symptoms of incipient lactation are turgescence of the mammary vessels, shooting pains in the glands, accompanied with a sensation of tension; the temperature slightly rises, and in some cases there is also increased vascular action, shivering, furred tongue, anorexia, etc., due, I think, often to slight septic influences. On applying the child a peculiar yellow fluid called colostrum is obtained; this "first milk" coagulates with heat, and under the microscope reveals the presence of granular corpuscles and free fat-granules; it acts aperiently on the child and serves to clear out the infantile alimentary canal. After a day or two colostrum gives place to ordinary milk, which is not coagulable with heat; the breasts then lose their sensitiveness and lactation is established. In some women there is great difficulty in inducing the milk to appear, and sometimes still greater in prevailing upon it to remain; early but not too frequent...