Diseases of women : a clinical guide to their diagnosis and treatment / by George Ernest Herman.

  • Herman G. Ernest (George Ernest), 1849-1914.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diseases of women : a clinical guide to their diagnosis and treatment / by George Ernest Herman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    From these four causes—because they affect patients with very sensitive nervous symptoms; because they are bound up with the emotional life of the patient; because they are often associated with nervous exhaustion from the strain of repro- duction ; and because a slight disease is often made into a great one by the patient’s fear of the disease she thinks is coming—it results that the minor diseases of women are usually associated with many symptoms which in no way depend upon the local disease, their relation being only that of dependence upon a common cause. Supposed reflex symptoms.—For long it was the practice to treat diseases of women without, or with only imperfect, local examination. The introduction of methods of local in- vestigation led to the discovery of local disorders which were not before known. Thus the speculum led to the discovery of erosion on the cervix; the sound informed us of changes in the position of the womb other than visible descent. When these changes were discovered, the next step was to trace out the symptoms connected with them. It was found that in a number of cases nervous symptoms were associated with the local disease, and it was therefore supposed that these nervous symptoms were reflex effects of the local disease. It was found, further, that treatment of the local disease, either in a hospital or in a place not the patient’s home, cured both local and reflex symptoms. Hence the theory seemed to be confirmed. This Avas the history of erosions of the cervix, the apparently wide-reaching effects of Avhich Avill be found detailed in the Avorks of Henry Bennett and Tilt; of flexions of the uterus, the supposed reflex effects of Avhich may be studied in the Avritings of Graily HeAvitt; and of other more recent “ cures.” The manifold nature of these reflex symptoms has struck many persons ; hence the phrase “ the Protean symptoms.” It has also struck many people Iioav closely the “ Protean symptoms ” duo to one small local lesion reseihbled those duo to another. Value of Matthews Duncan’s teaching.—The great ser- vice Avhich MatthoAvs Duncan rendered to the gymccology of his time Avas in clearly seeing, and helping others to see, that often the symptoms Avith local pelvic changes Avere not in the least dependent on them ; that tlie patient’s nervous condition