Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/550

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CONTUSIONS (CycK) — When the (mail veffels, ana fibres have been broken by a cmtufion, the fluids that were contained in them will be forced out, and hence will proceed obstructi- ons, corruptions, inflammation, and ulcers, or even a gangrene, in proportiontothevioler.ee of the caufe, and the nature of the affected part. When a bony part is the fuhject of a contufon, the fame mifchiefs will enfue from the i jury inflicted on the periofteum, as happen to the pericranium in wounds of the Lad ; and when the medullary juice of the bones is affected, Very violent diforders are to be expected, though the bone is not fracfured. When contufions happen on the joints, they ufually biing on violent pains and inflammations, convulftons, gangrenes, fphacelus, rigidity of the limbs, and caries ; and the fame mifchiefs will indeed fometimes happen from contufions of the mufcular parts. When the internal parts are ctmtitfed great mifchiefs ufually enfue; but thefe entirely depend upon the nature of the injured part : thefe are fometimes inflamma- tions, ruptures of the veffels, varixes, aneurifms, haemorrhages, ffagnation of the fluids, corruption, gangrene, and fuppuration, and very often death, is the neceflary attendant on thefe fym- ptoms. When the head receives, a confidcrable contujhn, the fenfes are taken away, the limbs become either convulfed, or rigid, and death prefently follows. In contufions of the thorax, a difficulty of breathing follows, with fpitting of blood, fainting fits, inflammation, and ulcers of the lungs, and death. After contufions of the abdomen we may expect vomitings of blood, inflammations, fuppurations, or gangrenes of the vifcera, and at length death ; but if any large internal veflel is burft by the blow, it is no wonder if the patient dies upon the fpot, even though there be no mark of violence left upon the external parts. Laftly, if the eye is contufed, tumor and inflam- mation will Succeed, and frequently lofs of fight. Thefe are the effects of violent contufions on the different parts. In the cure of flight contufions the principal care is to divide theinfpiflatcd fluids,and prevent the parts from fuppurating, or being affected by the gangrenes : this may be done by hot wine, fpirit of wine, fpirit of wine with camphor, or Hungary water; or by applying cold water, or vinegar mixed with fait, to the part; or by clapping a broad piece of money, or a plate of lead, upon the tumor, and fattening it on with a very tight . bandage : or linnen rags dipped in frefh warm urine fhould be applied to the part. Thefe different methods fucceed very we 1 in tumors of the foreheads of children from falls, or any other flight contufton in perfons of a tender make. Larger contufions are to be fomented with decoctions of the warm herbs, as fcordium, favin, fouthernwood, and fuch like, either alone, or mixed with wine, or with fait water ; great benefit alfo arifes from the applying to the parts a fpunge dip'd in a decoction of Venice fbap made in frefh urine, or warm applications of lime water, fpirit of wine camphorated, vinegar with litharge, and vinegar with carraway feeds boiled in it. But when the conhfion is ib violent that it is apparently Uh- poffible to divide the Stagnating fluids, and return them into circulation, and the parts are tending towards a gangrene, they muft be fcanfv'd without delay, and by this means the Stag- nating fluids will be let out, and all danger of fuppuration and gangrene prevented. After fcarification warm fomentations are to be ufed, and the tumor fhould be well rubbed with warm cloths before it is fomented, which will keep the blood in its fluid ft ate ; or, if it is already concreted, will divide it, and make it fit to return to the veffels, or, at leaft, to efcape thro' the pores of the.&in. Into all thefe fomentations it is very proper to put wine, or fpirit of wine, or elfe fome other fpirit- ous liquor ; but if thefe are not to be had, fait water is to be ufed, which, if you are not near the fea, may be had by add- ing a handful of fait to a quart of water : attenuating decoc- tions muft alfo be taken inwardly, and bleeding, efpccially in plethoric habits, is extremely neceflary. It fometimes happens, when the contufed parts lie very deep, or when the Surgeon does not ufe the proper means, or the patient rtfufes to fubmit to proper treatment, that the ftagnating fluids will corrupt and fuppuratc. When a fuppuration on thefe occa- fions is once begun, it muft be carried on and forwarded by emollient cataplafms,made of ma!iow,marfhmalIow,and white- lilly roots,linfeed,famugreek feed, pellitory, mercury, and other herbs of that kind, with crumbs of bread, and the emollient oils of lillies, chamomile, &c. Thefe muft be laid on the part as hot as they can be born ; and fometimes it is neceffary to add the warm herbs, fuch as onions, &c. and the gums, as galbanum, ammoniacum, and the others of that kind. Some- times, in fmal! contufions^ a plaiftcr of diachylon with the gums, without any other application, will anfwer the purpofe, When the whitenefs and foftnefs of the tumor evidently fhew that the matter is formed, and fit to be difcharged, the part is to be laid open With a knife,and, after the difcharge of the matter, muft be healed in the common way. Large contufions are fre- quently attended with violent inflammations and gangrenes : in this cafe numerous and deep incifions muft be made on the part, and the wounds dreffed with Venice treacle, foftened with fpirit of wine with camphor, applying at the fame time externally the warm fomentations. And when the parts are from very large and delpcratecmtu/ioiiS) abfolutely fphacelated, the limb mult be taken off in time. Heijhr's Surg. p. 92.

Contusions of the cranium. When the cranium is violently contufed, it will be difcovered by the tumor and foftnefs of the part, by the feparation of the integuments from the cra- nium, and by the collection of ftagnating blood which ap- pears to be confined under the fkin. In this cafe you are to endeavour to divide the confined fluids, by attenuating medi- cines externally applied, or to difcharge them by making an opening with a knife; or, laftly, to bring them to fuppuration. When the extravafation Of fluids is very confiderabIe,it is beft to difcharge the greateft part of them inftantly by incifions, and what remains will then eafily be difperfed. Fomentations, and medicated bags of the warm herbs, rue, wormwood, fa- vin, fcordium, &c. quilted into bags, and boiled in wine, or in water, with a mixture of fpirit of wine^ or malt or melafies fpirit. But where it is found impracticable to divide and at- tenuate the ftagnating fluids, the fuppuration of them muft be attempted ; and if the contifion have been but fmall, after the fuppuration is formed, and the matter difcharged, the wound will eafily heal, by the application of a vulnerary balfam. In violent contufions, when there is no opening, or but a very fmall one, the wound muft be enlarged with the knife, to prevent the neighbouring parts from being corroded ; and by this means the wound will be eafily cleaned, and the cure per- formed by the method before laid down. When the peri- cranium is wounded, but not in fo great a degree as to lay the cranium bare, the wound is to be dreffed with warm ba! a- mic medicines. But where the cranium is expofed and laid bare, its external lamella being robbed of its nourishment, by the deftruction of the veffels by which it was conftantly (up- plied, it will lofe its natural colour, and become yellow, livid, black, and, by degrees, feparate from the neighbouring parts, and exfoliate, which will greatly protract the cure of the wound. To haften this exfoliation, the furgcon ought to bore feveml holes thro' the denudated part, as deep as the di- ploe, with an awl, or fuch like inftrument. This operation not only forwards the exfoliation of the part, but makes way alfo for the fprouting up of new veffels. The drefling, which ought to be repeated each time' with great expedition, is to be applied in the following manner: when the wound is well cleaned, pledgits thoroughly faturated with the mild balfamics, with the addition of a fmall quantity of honey of rofes, are to be laid upon the injured part of the cranium ; over thefe a Sticking plaifter is to be applied ; and over that, the proper bolftcrand bandage. Thefe applications Should be continued till the cranium appears found, and the wound in a condition to heal. Heifer's Surg. p. 84.

Contusions of the eye. Seethe article Eve.

CONVENTION, in our law books, is ufed when a parliament is called, which fits and is diffolved without any act paffed, or judgment given. Itis then faid not to be afeflion of parliament, but a convention. 4 Inft. 38. See Raym. 187. Lev. 442. 2 Kebl 529.

Convention of Rouen, the fame with burfe of Rouen. See the article Burse.

CONVERSOS {Cycl.)— The Jews here in England were for- ly called converfos ; viz. becaufe they were converted to the christian religion. Henry III. built a houfe for them in Lon- don,and allowed them a competent provifion or fubfiftence,for their lives ; and this houfe was called Domus converforum. *Tis mentioned by our hiftorians, Matt. Paris, and A4att. Weftm. anno 1 244. But by reafon of the vaft expences of the wars, and the increafe of thefe converts, they became a burthen to the crown ; and therefore they were placed in abbeys and monasteries, for their fupport and maintainance. But the Jews being afterwards banifhed, Edward III. in the fifty-firft year of his reign, gave this houfe for the keeping of the rolls ; and it is the fame which is at this time enjoyed by the rnafter of the rolls.

CONVERTIBILITY offpirits into one another. See Spirits.

CONULUS, in natural history, the name of a genus of the echinodermata, of the general clafs of the fibular Thefe are raifed from a circular bafe into a taller aud more pointed, or a fhorter and more obtufe cone. T'he echinitse of this genus have been called by authors fcolopendrita, pilea, and by fome hvfonita ; and are generally known in Englifh by the name of cap-ftones. Of thefe there are four fpecies : 1. The albo- galerus, or white-hat Stone, found foffile in our chalk-pits* 2. The globulus, 3. The nodus, the feries of the lines of which are flexuous, and make the fuperficies fomewhat gib- bofe. 4. The bulla, the orders of lines in which are Strait, and refemhle a button. Klein's Echinod.

CONVOLVULUS, bi?idweed i \n botany, thenameof averv large genus of plants, which fome have alfo made much larger than it really is, by making every climbing plant beloncr to it. The characters, however, of the convolvulus, properly fo call- ed, are thefe ; they have flowers confifting only of one leaf each, formed into the fhape of a bell, and ufually very wide at the mouth. From the cup of the flower arifes apiftil, fix- ed to the lower part of the flower, in the manner of a nail; this ripens into a roundim membranaceous fruit, which is ufually furrounded by the cup, and in fome fpecies is unicap- fular, in others trrcapfular, and contains feeds ufually of an angular figure. See Tab. 1. of Botany, CJafs 1,

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