The History of a Tumor in the Lower Part of the Belly, Related by Mr. Giles, Sworn Surgeon at St. Come; being the Second Art. of the Second Journal of Brunet's Progress de la Medicine

I. The History of a Tumor in the lower part of the Belly, Related by Mr. Giles, Sworn Surgeon at St. Come; being the Second Art. of the Second Journal of Brunet's Progress de la Medicine. In the Year 1689, Madam ——— about Sixty four Years old, had a Tumor in the lower Region of the Belly, hard, round, and as big as a Ball, such as the Boys play with. They mov'd this Globe in the same manner as they do the Matrix, when it is big with a Child, of Six or Seven Months old; no Accidents like a Fever, Pain, Vomiting, loss of Blood, Fluoralbus, &c. accompanied this Tumor, but a constant voiding of Urine; many Physicians, both of Paris and the Provinces were consulted at different times; they search'd the Patient, and agreed at length that it was a scirrhus, some plac'd it in the Epiploon, others in the Mesentery, and others fastned it to the Matrix. In view of this, all possible means were employed to soften and discus it; they gave her Emetiques, strong Purgatives, Diuretics; they applied Emollients and Resolvents, but all to no purpose. Being wearied with so many Remedies, she went in her Coach to take the Air at Vincennes; after her return she had an Inclination to go to Stool, and filled a Bason with gross Excrements, a little tle black, and not very stinking, this she did a second time; and the Lady found herself immediately relieved, her swelling disappeared, her Urine stopt; and to conclude, in a few Hours she was perfectly well. A Year after that, she fell into an Apoplexy, out of which she Recovered by Emetiques and Purgations, nothing as yet did appear in the lower Region of her Belly; but in 1691, the Tumor shewed itself in the same place, of the same consistence, bigness, and roundness, with an involuntary efflux of her Urine; to be short, with the same marks as before: Measures were taken by what had past, for the time to come; they Purged her often and strongly; and it's remarkable, that all Clysters and Purges did very strongly their Office; they gave her also Vomitives and Deobstruents; she Bathed, and all possible care was taken, to make Nature do again what she had before done with so good Success; but all was in vain, for nothing mov'd, this second Tumor augmented daily, and Two Years after its first appearing the party dyed. I was called to open the Body; having divided and laid aside the common Covers, and the Muscles of the lower Belly, this great and round Tumor of which I have spoke appeared; it was the Caecum dilated which made this Swelling; its Membranes were outwardly smooth, and of the same Colour with the Intestines, without alteration, and full of Vessels of all sorts. Before I cut it, I followed the Intestines, and remark'd that the Ileon did lye along the Tumor being flat against it, and returned to join the Colon as is usual; so the Excrements had the liberty to pass from the Ileon to the Colon, without entring into the Tumor, which after this I opened; I found about Three Chopins (or Quarts) of greyish Matter, without smell, and of a Consistence rather liquid then thick; after that I search'd for a Communication munication it might have with the Guts, but discovered neither hole, nor any appearance it might have; the interior membranes were very beautiful, and all the parts of the Swelling, as well as of the neighbouring Organs, appeared very sound. Though I perceived no Communication this Tumor had with the Ileon, yet some must have been in the beginning of this Tumor, by which it discharged its gross Excrements; but after this Evacuation I believe that this opening was stopt, and that the sides of this great bag, which had come close together, by the going out of this gross Matter, did by degrees stretch and open themselves to receive this Heterogeneous Stuff, which I found there, produc'd either by the Glands of these parts, or some lymphatick Vessels which I saw there, or some Fluid Bodies express from the Chyle or other Humors. The Compression which the Tumor made on the Bladder, made the Urine run out as fast as it came in; its Sphincter not being able to resist the violence of this load. Perhaps the Patient might have been Cured, if they had opened the Tumor when it appeared the second time; but the way by which she was relieved the first time, gave ground to fear they might open the Intestines in this Operation, and they were always in hopes of such an Evacuation, as they had the first time. II. Account