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a little is pushed into the rectum, and a piece of cotton is put over the anus. This protects the clothes from soiling and keeps the medicine in place for a longer time. Instead of ointment a cocoa butter suppository may be used. A suppository of the following composition is good: powdered nutgalls, 3 grains; oil of cade, 3 drops; resorcin, 1 grain; bismuth subnitrate, 5 grains; cocoa butter, 20 grains. One such suppository to be inserted three times a day. The ointment and the suppository given above, if used in conjunction with the proper regulation of the bowels, will not only relieve but will cure most cases of hemorrhoids caused by pregnancy.
=Itching of the Vulva. Pruritus Vulvae.= Itching of the external genitals during pregnancy is not uncommon. This may be due to the fact that the vulva is generally congested and swollen during pregnancy or it may be caused by an increased leucorrheal discharge. The itching is sometimes very severe, and if the patient scratches with her nails and produces bleeding, she may cause an infection of the parts. The patient should be cautioned against scratching; she should try simple measures to relieve the itching. A small towel or gauze compress wrung out of boiling water and applied to the vulva several times a day, followed by a free application of stearate of zinc powder is often efficient. If it is not, the following salve may be tried: carbolic acid, 10 grains; menthol, 5 grains; resorcin, 15 grains; zinc oxide, 1 dram; and white vaseline, one ounce. In very severe cases the vulva should be painted with a solution of silver nitrate, 25 grains to 1 ounce of distilled water.
=Varicose Veins.= In most women during pregnancy the veins in the legs become somewhat enlarged. This is due to the pressure of the womb, which interferes with the circulation. If the veins become very prominent, swollen and tortuous, they are called varicose. This condition should be prevented, because it often and to some degree always persists permanently even after the pregnancy is over. The best precautionary measure is for the woman to wear a well-fitting abdominal belt or maternity corset, which supports the womb and does not permit it to sink too low into the pelvis. If varicose veins have been permitted to develop, the woman should wear well-fitting rubber stockings, or at least have the legs bandaged with woven elastic bandages. The bandage must be applied by a competent person, uniformly and not too tightly. Constipation has also a bad effect in making varicose veins worse; the bowels should therefore also be looked after. In some severe cases all measures are of little value unless the patient at the same time stays in bed or on a couch for a few days, with the legs elevated. Page 8 from 9: Back 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] 9 Forward |