Woman, her diseases and remedies : a series of letters to his class / by Charles D. Meigs.

  • Meigs, Charles D. (Charles Delucena), 1792-1869.
Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Woman, her diseases and remedies : a series of letters to his class / by Charles D. Meigs. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    labia, were perfectly developed; but instead of the os magnum there was, to all appearance, a complete shallow cul-de-sac. It was not until I had repeatedly pressed the end of a probe against various parts of the extremity of this cul-de-sac, that I found it to make progress, and at length find its way along the course of a vagina, which appeared to be filled by the probe, so strict was the narrowness. I next introduced a small block-tin bougie, and then a middle-sized urethra bougie, which was closely embraced by the vagina. I succeeded, on this first occa- sion, in carrying a full-sized urethra bougie to the bottom of the vagina. On the following day I used, without difficulty, a larger bougie, and with much force and no little time, introduced the index finger as far as the os uteri. I now introduced a half hollow cylinder of German silver to the bottom of the vagina, and then concealing the apex of a similar half cylinder in the groove of the first one, I carried it also to the bottom of the vagina. One was to the left, the other on the right side of the vagina, and when both were adjusted, they equalled in size the index finger, which I had been before able to introduce. Fig. 1 is a repre- sentation of one of them, and Fig. 2 resembles it viewed in profile. I next pressed into this speculum or dilater the conical bougie, made of wood, Fig. 3, and very slowly pushed the apex forwards, until its point was carried home, or to the extremity of the half cylinders. The dilatation gave pain, but I did not think it very severe. At several subsequent operations, I separated the half cylinders while in the vagina by a larger bougie than the one before mentioned, which I considered Fig. 1. Fig. 2. large enough, and then furnishing her with a hollow silver-gilt bougie, about one inch and a quarter in diameter, which passed without the least difficulty to the bottom of the vagina, I sent her home with directions to pass the bougie once a day. Within a few days (May 20, 1844), I had a letter from the gentleman, request- ing me to send him another silver-gilt bougie rather larger than the last, and stating that he believes that with such an instrument the cure will be complete. Here, then, is a case of congenite narrowness of the entire vagina in a lady two years married, which barely admitted a probe for the ad- mission of which the orifice was with difficulty discovered, and which, Fig. 3.