Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 1st. Dysmenorrhcea connected with derangement of the digestive organs. 2nd. Occurring in a gouty or rheumatic habit of body. 3rd. Dysmenorrhoea of an hysterical or neuralgic character. 4th. In connection with some inflammatory action of the uterus—usually the os and cervix. 5th. Arising from ovarian irritation. In each of these forms it will present certain modifications or peculiarities, which are valuable guides for adapting our treatment to the particular case, and without which we cannot hope for success. In the first species of dysmenorrhcea—the simplest, and the one most commonly met with,—the indications for treatment are merely to rectify the derangement of the digestive organs, improve the tone and strength of the system, and, if necessary, to allay the pain at the periods by sedatives. It is of the greatest importance to obviate as soon as possible the constipated state of the bowels, and the torpid condition of the liver; for more or less of hsemorrhoidal congestion is almost invariably the result,—which greatly adds to the severity of the attacks and the difficulty of stopping them. Strong and coarse purgatives do harm, because they not only leave the bowels constipated when their immediate effect is over, but, by the violence of their action, increase the hsemorrhoidal tendency, and thereby rather aggravate than allay the severity of the attacks. A mild dose of blue or Plummer's pill, guarded by an equal quantity of extract of hop or henbane, and carried off the next morning by rhubarb and magnesia, or any other gentle laxative, will acteffectually, and yet not irritate. For daily use (until the constipated habit be overcome) we know of no laxative like the combination of ferri and magnesias sulph.: it may be taken for a greater length of time, and w...