Observations on aneurism : and its treatment by compression / O'Bryen Bellingham.

  • Bellingham, O'Bryen, 1805-1877.
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on aneurism : and its treatment by compression / O'Bryen Bellingham. 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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    CHAPTER II. History of compression in aneurism from the middle of the 18th century to the period of the first performance of the Hunterian operation—Heister the first to propose the employment of pressure in popliteal aneurism—Guattani the first to succeed in curing popliteal aneurism by com- pression—Cases reported by Guattani—Compressing in- strument of Vicq d'Azyr—Erroneous theory upon which pressure was used at this period—Injurious consequences likely to follow the application of pressure to the aneu- rismal sac—Mode of applying pressure termed immediate; described by Sabatier—Theory upon which it was supposed to effect the cure of aneurism. The employment of compression in aneurism down to the middle of the 18th century was, as we have seen, limited to traumatic aneurism at the bend of the arm, or to small vessels in other situations. Heister appears to have been the first to propose the extension of this mode of treatment to popliteal aneurism. If a true and small aneurism (he observes) arises in the knee, of such a character that the blood can be pressed back into the artery, we may try whether by continuing to apply pres- sure to it by means of a plate, straps, and bandages for several months, it may not be compressed to such a degree that (as happens in the arm) the coats of the artery may grow together, and contract so that it cannot enlarge again. Or if we cannot accomplish this, and the tumour on the removal of the bandages and compresses always returns, I would recommend, in order to avoid a greater evil and a dangerous operation, that the patient should wear the compressing apparatus for the remainder of his life, as many do with advantage who suffer from hernia.