The principles of midwifery : including the diseases of women and children / by John Burns.

  • Burns, John, 1774-1850.
Date:
1811
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The principles of midwifery : including the diseases of women and children / by John Burns. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    14} CHAP. III. Of the soft Parts which line the Pelvis. SJSCTION FIRST. Various strong, and large muscles, pass from the spine and pelvis to the thigh bones, and act as powerful bands, strengthening, in a very great degree, the articulations of the pelvis. These it is not requisite to describe, but it will be useful, briefly to notice the soft parts which line the pel- vis, and which may be acted on by the child's head during labour. 1st. When we remove the peritoneum from the cavity of the pelvis, we first of all are led to observe, that all the un- der portion of the os innominatum, and part of the sacrum, is covered with a layer of muscular fibres, which arises at the brim of the pelvis, and can be traced all the way doAvn to the extremity of the rectum. This is the levator ani; it is a strong muscle, with many glossy tendinous fibres, especi- ally at the fore part, where it lines the ossa pubis. Under the symphysis, it is pierced by the urethra and vagina; and during the passage of the child's head, those fibres which surround the vagina must be considerably distended ; and this is more readily effected, as the anus is brought forwards when the perinseum is distended. 2d. Under this, on each side, we have arising from the membrane that fills up the thyroid hole, and also from the margins of the hole and the inner surface of the ischium, the obturator internus, which forms at that part a soft cushion of flesh, the fibres running backwards and down- wards, and terminating in a tendon, which passes over the sacro-sciatic notch, running on it as on a pully, in order to reach the root of the great trochanter. 3d. We find the pyriformis arising from the under part of the hollow of the sacrum, and also passing out at the