Dermoid cyst of the ovary / by Jas. A. Grant.

  • Grant, J. A. (James Alexander), 1831-1920.
Date:
[1878?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dermoid cyst of the ovary / by Jas. A. Grant. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    interest, and more especially so, when we consider the rapidity with which the poison of scarlet fever or other zymotic influ- ence, centres on the parturient peritoneum. The power of accommodation may here be at work and the very strain the result of contiguous abnormal adhesion, so have modified sus- ceptibilities as to render the parts less liable under these circum- stances to direct inflammatory action. Gross (System of Surgery, p. 931,vol. 4,) remarks: “ One of the great obstacles to success in ovariotomy, grows out of the difficulty, if not utter impossi- bility, in many cases in arriving at a correct diagnosis, no matter what pains may be taken in the investigation, hence it is not surprising that in at least three-tenths of the cases subjected to the knife, the operation had to be abandoned, while in quite a number of others no ovarian tumor of any kind was found.” Again, p. 931, he states: “ I should con- sider an operation as unjustifiable when the tumor, whatever be its structure, is strongly and extensively adherent.” Thomas (Diseases of Women, p. 700) states : “ Although such tumors are innocuous, and not likely to increase rapidly or attain any great development, they sometimes set up very serious and even fatal disturbance—the case in point being one of the three varieties defined, viz., the cyst which contained the histoid elements, secreting fluid and changing its character to that of a fluid or rather semi-fluid character. In such cases, he is of opinion, no treatment is required, since none would be at all effectual except extirpation. This would be eminently inadmis-> sible, since there are not sufficient dangers attendant upon the tumor to warrant a resort to so hazardous a procedure. Dr. Graily Hewitt records a case in which Dr. Alexander Simpson injected with iodine, but not with a favorable result. Dr. Atlee, on Ovarian Tumors, j). 183, records a case of Dermoid Cyst, in which, by passing a sound into the cavity of the cyst through an umbilical opening, the diagnosis was determined, and an operation for the extirpation of the tumor was pronounced im- practicable, and consequently abandoned. Subsequently iodine was injected by Dr. Hayes, however, with no favorable result. Page 180, a second case of dermoid cyst is recorded by Dr. Atlee, which being diagnosed by paracentesis, all idea of extir-