When an abscess begins to form, it is known and treated as described in the article Abscessus peri-ostei.

17. Inflammation of the rectum is rarely so acute as that of the small intestines, nor so apt to affect the pulse or the stomach; nor is there such a stricture as to render the intestines impervious. The cure is the same as inflammation in any of the other intestines; purgatives are equally necessary, and ought always to be employed. Clysters, from the soreness, are inadmissible, and sitting over warm water useful.

18. Inflammatio renum. See Nephritis.

19. Inflammation of the spleen, splenitis, and pleuritis splenica. Dr. Cullcn places it among the phleg-masiae; denning it febrile affection, attended with tension, heat, tumour of the left hypochondrium, and pain increased on pressure, without signs of a nephritis.

Lommius observes, that this disorder is rare; that it is attended with a hard and a throbbing tumour, a pain in the left hypochondrium, a continual violent fever, extreme heat, unquenchable thirst, a blackish tongue, a total loss of appetite, with a difficult, and, as it were, imperfect respiration, like that of children when they sob through anger. Aretaeus adds, that the pain attending inflammation in the spleen is not considerable. If the distemper continues, not accompanied by an ulcer, the patients have an aversion to food, are swollen, have a bad habit, a disagreeable aspect, with many round, livid, hollow, foul, and incurable ulcers over the whole body, and die cachectic; but such as have only a small, hard, and scirrhous tumour feel little or no pain, and consequently live longer. A dropsy, a consumption, or a colliquation of the whole body, are its frequent consequences.

The cure is that of other violent internal inflammations; but the India punctures and scarifications are employed by the native practitioners.

20. Inflammatio testium. See Hernia humora-lis.

21. Inflammatio uteri, hysteritis, and metritis. Dr. Cullen defines this disease a febrile affection, attended with heat of the hypogastric region, tension, tumour, and pain; the os uteri painful on being touched, with vomiting.

Women, after child-birth, when the lochia are impeded, are sometimes subject to this complaint: but it does not often occur, except as in idiopathic inflammation; for bruises, external stimuli,obstructed menstrua, or obstructed lochia, in very few instances produce real permanent inflammation. The imprudent use of instruments, or violence in delivery, is not a very uncommon cause. When it occurs from any of the former causes, the symptoms are chiefly those of irritation rather than inflammation. The pain at the bottom of the belly is neither throbbing nor constantly acute; the pulse is, as usual after child birth, frequent, often small, sometimes irregular; in strong habits, and after early abortions, hard. Subsultus tendinum, and the other symptoms of irritation, come on; the womb mortifies, and the patient sinks. In the unimpregnated state the pain is more constant, circumscribed, and throbbing; the pulse hard, full, and strong, with other symptoms of general inflammation; or, if the disease rises to a greater height, the pulse is small and frequent, and suppuration is more frequently the consequence.

In both, as different parts of the womb are affected, there is a strangury, or a suppression of urine, and the urine discharged is fetid and hot; or a tenesmus attends, with a pain in going to stool; there is pain in moving the lower extremities, or swelling, with heat, to be felt at the os tincae, which is usually shut. The belly is tense; a soreness is felt on pressure; a red stain sometimes extends up to the navel, and turns black when fatal: if it occurs in an impregnated uterus, an abortion follows.

It often happens that the woman can only lie on her back; and on turning on either side, she feels a painful heavy mass fall to that side; with an excessive pain in the loins, kidneys, and groin, of the opposite side. The pain sometimes extends to the thighs.

This disorder may be removed by a spontaneous eruption of the menses, or of the lochia; or, after an abortion, or child-birth, by the patient's falling into a constant, equable, gentle, long continued sweat. If it terminate in an abscess, or a mortification, both are fatal; but a metastasis may be a means of relief.

Bleeding is useful at the first attack, and if the discharge is then copious, it is found to be salutary; but, if at a later period, it sinks the patient with marks of debility, or hastens gangrene.

In abortions and labours, where the patient is not greatly debilitated, if the pulse is hard, and not very frequent, the loss of blood by the arm is borne with advantage; but it cannot be repeated; and the general method of cure will always depend on mild diaphoretics, as the pulvis antimonialis and haustus salinus, carefully avoiding irritating purgatives. To these may be added anodyne and antispasmodic fomentations.

In delicate or feeble constitutions, after child-birth, and where there is no hardness, but great frequency of the pulse, this disorder too often proves fatal. All that can be done is to keep the patient moderately warm, exciting, if possible, a gentle perspiration by farinaceous decoctions, in small quantities, frequently repeated, and applying fomentations and poultices, supporting the strength by the moderate use of wine, and occasionally the bark. All extraordinary evacuations are dangerous. Even the perspiration must be the gentle diapnoe formerly described.

Every irritation, as external pressure, urine in the bladder, or from faeces in the rectum, must be avoided. Urine, if necessary, may be drawn off with the catheter, and the bowels may be emptied by repeated clysters, which are useful also as internal fomentations, and these are particularly necessary when the irritation is communicated to the rectum. Blisters are dangerous remedies, as their irritation may be conveyed to the neck of the bladder. Opiates, however, may be freely given,, and, indeed, to a considerable extent, if costiveness is avoided by mild laxatives.