Diseases of the ovaries : their diagnosis and treatment . umour,which, by its presence in the pelvis, had given rise to the trainof hysterical symptoms, and, among others, to the superimposedswelling, apparently the most important matter calling fortreatment. The drawing on the preceding page, from a photograph by thelate Dr. Wright, shows how very accurately one of these phantomtumours, or the condition which I have now been describing ashysteric tympanites, may resemble a uterine or ovarian lower part of the abdomen arches forward exactly as inpregnancy, or as in an ovarian tumour
Diseases of the ovaries : their diagnosis and treatment . umour,which, by its presence in the pelvis, had given rise to the trainof hysterical symptoms, and, among others, to the superimposedswelling, apparently the most important matter calling fortreatment. The drawing on the preceding page, from a photograph by thelate Dr. Wright, shows how very accurately one of these phantomtumours, or the condition which I have now been describing ashysteric tympanites, may resemble a uterine or ovarian lower part of the abdomen arches forward exactly as inpregnancy, or as in an ovarian tumour of moderate size whenthe abdominal wall is not lax ; and the wall is so tense, thepatient so resists pressure, or complains so much of tenderness onpressure, and the abdominal muscles contract so spasmodicallyand irregularly, that it is by no means difficult to fancy that atumour, or even the movements of a foetus, may be felt. Thegirl, whose portrait is here given, was in the Samaritan Hospi-tal for some time, and it was difficult to convince her, her. friends, and even some medical, friends who saw her with me,that she had no abdominal tumour. The tympanitic resonance CHLOROFORM IN TYMPANITES. 145 on percussion was, of course, the leading element in thediagnosis; but the most convincing test was the complete sub-sidence of the swelling, and the flattening of the abdomen whenthe girl was fully under the influence of chloroform. The pho-tograph from which the second drawing was taken was madewhile she was completely narcotised. The arched abdomen isseen to have been quite flattened, and it was easy, when theabdominal walls were so flaccid, to feel the pulsations of theaorta, the vertebral column, the brim of the pelvis, and tobecome perfectly certain that there was no abdominal nor pelviccyst of any kind. Yet the instant the effect of the chloroformbegan to pass away the tumour always began to reappear. This
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectgynecology, bookyear1
