Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 edition. Excerpt: ... LECTURE XXIII. DIGITAL EXAMINATION OF THE FEMALE PELVIC ORGANS. Digital examination of the female pelvic organs is made by passing either the index finger alone or both the index and middle fingers into the vagina with their dorsal surfaces backward. The vagina is a membranous canal or collapsed tube extending in from the vulva to the uterus and lying between the urethra and bladder in front and the rectum behind. It is between five and six inches in length, the anterior wall being shorter than the posterior and extending from about the urethra or opening into the bladder backward and upward under the bladder, with which it is united, and then is reflected down a short distance onto the anterior lip of the cervix of the uterus, forming the anterior fornix or little pocket into which the examining fingers pass. In the same manner the posterior wall extends from the vaginal orifice upward and is reflected upon the cervix forming the posterior fornix. The posterior wall is curved, the curves varying with the position of the uterus and the amount of distention of the bladder and rectum. In the center between these two walls and extending into the vagina the examining fingers meet the cervix or neck of the uterus, which will be felt as a small hard body with a depression, the os, or mouth, in the center; and should normally point backward and a little upward and lie well up in the vagina, about five or six inches from the opening. "The virgin cervix extends about J4-J4 inch into the vagina and is about an inch in diameter. The os is a crosswise slit with lips, the anterior lip being thicker than the posterior. You may feel whether the cervix points in the normal direction, whether too low, whether the cervix is enlarged, whether the os is...