Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 946

WILLIAM HUNTER (1718-1783) Summary remarks on the retroverted uterus. (In Medical observations and inquiries. Vol. 5, (1776), pp. 388-393.) 20.8 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 942

Although Hunter is often credited with being the first to have described retroversion of the uterus, he was actually the individual who named the condition. It was John Maubray (d. 1732) who first described the condition in his popular text the Female physician (London, 1724). William Smellie (see No. 825) and a physician from Ipswich--Hengeston--were also early acquainted with the difficulty and Smellie recommended the use of a pessary to keep the uterus in place. The present report is the completion of an earlier paper in Medical observations and inquiries (Vol. 4, (1772), pp. 400-409) in which Hunter named the condition and presented several case histories. In this paper he emphasized the fact that the problem was more widespread than commonly thought, and presented additional cases and observations that he felt would be of use to his colleagues. This volume of Medical observations and inquiries also contains reports of retroverted uteri observed by William Bird (fl. 1750) and Maxwell Garthshore (1732-1812) both of whom communicated their findings to Hunter and by Joseph Hooper (d. 1789) whose case was reported to the journal by Fothergill (see No. 914 ff.).

See Related Record(s): 825 914

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 6020

Gift of John Martin, M.D.