The diseases of the breast, and their treatment / by John Birkett.

  • Birkett, John, 1815-1904.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The diseases of the breast, and their treatment / by John Birkett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    to causes of irritation, is exceedingly liable to inflam- matory affections. These occur, very frequently, during lactation, and especially during the first month, par- ticularly with primipara. They may be the result of simple irritation from the pressure of the lips of the infant upon a peculiarly delicate cuticle, which becomes abraded, or they may result from some specific cause, even of syphilitic origin. The presence of aphthae in the mouth of the infant is said to be very frequently the cause of this irritation. It is well known that minute follicular glands are scattered over the nipple, and it is in these structures that I believe the irritation is chiefly centred. The first difficulty which the mother experiences is a sensation of heat, then of tingling, or smarting, with very slight redness; the skin is harsh and dry, and upon careful examination one or more minute vesicles appear. These, in time, become rubbed, the cuticle breaks, and then a little oozing is noticed, with perhaps a minute ulcer or crack at the most painful spot. These appearances may be observed in any part of the nipple, from the apex to its base, or even upon the areola. As the mischief advances, the cracks extend, taking either a circular or longitudinal course ; but the former is the most common. The pain now becomes very severe when the infant sucks ; so great indeed as to induce many women to relinquish the duty. The fissures divide, and increase in extent and depth; the skin becomes entirely destroyed, or a circular fissure surrounding the base of the nipple, threatens its total destruction by sloughing,—a severe