A System of midwifery : including the diseases of pregnancy and the puerperal state . rse of the examination are. in the firstplace, the state of the vagina, whether it is soft, relaxed, and welllubricated with mucus. In regard to the os uteri, we observe if it issoft and dilatable, or rigid and unyielding, and to what extent it hasbecome dilated, if at all. Information is, further, obtained as towhether the membranes are ruptured; whether we have to deal witha natural presentation ; and if there is any pelvic deformity or morbidgrowth which might impede the progress of labor. And, finally, we
A System of midwifery : including the diseases of pregnancy and the puerperal state . rse of the examination are. in the firstplace, the state of the vagina, whether it is soft, relaxed, and welllubricated with mucus. In regard to the os uteri, we observe if it issoft and dilatable, or rigid and unyielding, and to what extent it hasbecome dilated, if at all. Information is, further, obtained as towhether the membranes are ruptured; whether we have to deal witha natural presentation ; and if there is any pelvic deformity or morbidgrowth which might impede the progress of labor. And, finally, wemay thus recognize at an early stage prolapse of the cord—a conditionwhich calls for constant care and anxiety, so long as the labor maylast. With this view, also, it is usual to make an examination at thetime of the rupture of the membranes, as it is at this moment that theloop of the cord frequently descends; and, besides, an examinationnow enables us, more surely than before, to determine the position ofthe presenting part. The mode of examination above described is Fig. Mode of digital examination. represented in the accompanying figure, in which the examination isbeing conducted with the right hand. In most cases one finger, ashere shown, will suffice, and this should always be attempted when theexamination seems to cause unusual pain. The student and youngpractitioner should avoid making too frequent examinations, for, notonly does this irritate the parts, but it tends to remove, at each succes-sive examination, a portion of the lubricating medium, upon the quan- XVI.] PREPARATION OF THE BED. 278 titv of which depends, in some measure, the satisfacl ie of the case. The practice of previously smearing the finger with some blandlubricant is resorted to on every occasion in which an examination isfound to be necessary, not so much to facilitate introduction—whichthe abundance of mucus generally renders easy enough—as to supplythe place of any mucus which may be r
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectobstetrics, bookyear1
