Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine | Page 9

nipple it became changed in character, passing from a whitish to a
bloody and to a yellowish color respectively, and suddenly terminating
at the beginning of the real flow from the uterus, to reappear again at
the breast at the close of the flow, and then lasting two or three days
longer. Some pain of a lancinating type occurred in the breast at this
time. The patient first discovered her peculiar condition by a stain of
blood upon the night-gown on awakening in the morning, and this she
traced to the breast. From an examination it appeared that a neglected
lacerated cervix during the birth of the last child had given rise to
endometritis, and for a year the patient had suffered from severe
menorrhagia, for which she was subsequently treated. At this time the
menses became scanty, and then supervened the discharge of bloody
fluid from the left breast, as heretofore mentioned. The right breast
remained always entirely passive. A remarkable feature of the case was
that some escape of fluid occurred from the left breast during coitus. As
a possible means of throwing light on this subject it may be added that
the patient was unusually vigorous, and during the nursing of her two
children she had more than the ordinary amount of milk (galactorrhea),
which poured from the breast constantly. Since this time the breasts had
been quite normal, except for the tendency manifested in the left one
under the conditions given.
Cases of menstruation through the eyes are frequently mentioned by the
older writers. Bellini, Hellwig, and Dodonaeus all speak of
menstruation from the eye. Jonston quotes an example of ocular
menstruation in a young Saxon girl, and Bartholinus an instance
associated with bloody discharge of the foot. Guepin has an example in
a case of a girl of eighteen, who commenced to menstruate when three
years old. The menstruation was tolerably regular, occurring every
thirty-two or thirty-three days, and lasting from one to six days. At the
cessation of the menstrual flow, she generally had a supplementary
epistaxis, and on one occasion, when this was omitted, she suffered a
sudden effusion into the anterior chamber of the eye. The discharge had
only lasted two hours on this occasion. He also relates an example of
hemorrhage into the vitreous humor in a case of amenorrhea.
Conjunctival hemorrhage has been noticed as a manifestation of

vicarious menstruation by several American observers. Liebreich found
examples of retinal hemorrhage in suppressed menstruation, and Sir
James Paget says that he has seen a young girl at Moorfields who had a
small effusion of blood into the anterior chamber of the eye at the
menstrual period, which became absorbed during the intervals of
menstruation. Blair relates the history of a case of vicarious
menstruation attended with conjunctivitis and opacity of the cornea.
Law speaks of a plethoric woman of thirty who bled freely from the
eyes, though menstruating regularly.
Relative to menstruation from the ear, Spindler, Paullini, and Alibert
furnish examples. In Paullini's case the discharge is spoken of as very
foul, which makes it quite possible that this was a case of middle-ear
disease associated with some menstrual disturbance, and not one of true
vicarious menstruation. Alibert's case was consequent upon suppression
of the menses. Law cites an instance in a woman of twenty-three, in
whom the menstrual discharge was suspended several months. She
experienced fulness of the head and bleeding (largely from the ears),
which subsequently occurred periodically, being preceded by much
throbbing; but the patient finally made a good recovery. Barnes,
Stepanoff, and Field adduce examples of this anomaly. Jouilleton
relates an instance of menstruation from the right ear for five years,
following a miscarriage.
Hemorrhage from the mouth of a vicarious nature has been frequently
observed associated with menstrual disorders. The Ephemerides,
Meibomius, and Rhodius mention instances. The case of Meibomius
was that of an infant, and the case mentioned by Rhodius was
associated with hemorrhages from the lungs, umbilicus, thigh, and
tooth-cavity. Allport reports the history of a case in which there was
recession of the gingival margins and alveolar processes, the
consequence of amenorrhea. Caso has an instance of menstruation from
the gums, and there is on record the description of a woman, aged
thirty-two, who had bleeding from the throat preceding menstruation;
later the menstruation ceased to be regular, and four years previously,
after an unfortunate and violent connection, the menses ceased, and the
woman soon developed hemorrhoids and hemoptysis. Henry speaks of

a woman who menstruated from the mouth; at the necropsy 207 stones
were found in the gall-bladder. Krishaber speaks of a case of lingual
menstruation at the epoch of menstruation.
Descriptions of menstruation from the extremities are quite numerous.
Pechlin offers an example from the foot; Boerhaave from the skin of
the hand;