PHLEGMA'SIA, AL'DA DO'LENS, or Max-LEG, is a disease which is most common in women after parturition, especially if they have lost much blood, but sometimes occurrs in unmarried women, and occasionally in males. It usually commences about a week or ten days after delivery with a feeling of pain in the loins or lower part.of the abdomen, whence it extends to the groin and down the thigh and leg. The pain soon becomes very severe; and principally follows the course of the internal cutaneous and crural nerve of the thigh and of the posterior tibial in the leg. The limb soon begins to swell, and in the course of a couple of days is sometimes twice its ordinary size, and as the develops itself, the acuteness of the pain considerably diminishes. ,The limb is partly flexed, and lies motionless; any movement aggravates the pain. The swelling extends uniformly over the limb, which is pale and shining, and hot and firm to the touch, seldom pitting on pressure. The femoral vein may usully lie felt like a hard cord, and this symptom, taken with the swelling, clearly indicates that this affection is essen tially critral phlebitis. The uniformity of the cord is interrupted by nodules, arising either from inflamed cellular tissue, or from clots within the vein. 'Both legs are
seldom attacked at the same time, and the left thigh is the most common seat of the disease.
This affection usually terminates favorably, the acute symptoms disappearing in about ten clays or a fortnight. The swelling, however, often continues for a long time, sad sometimes fasts for life. Very different opinions have been held regarding time nature of this disease. At one time it was considered as the result of metastatic secretion of milk (or, in other words, as due to the milk leaving the breast, and settling in the thigh, and hence the term There Is now no doubt that the disease is inflammation origin ating in the veins of the womb, and extending to those of the lower extremity. The treaime»t is the same as for phlebitis (q.v.) generally. Warm poppy fomemations, or bran poultices sprinkled with laudanum, may be applied externally at the beginning of the attack, after which flannel saturated with a liniment, composed of one part o?landon um to two parts of soap liniment, may be applied round the limb in the form of a bandage, applied not so tightly as to occasion pain. if necessary, the bowels must be gently opened with castor oil, and opium given to allay pain and induce sleep.