‘The fundus of a healthy unimpregnated uterus never rises above the level of the brim of the pelvis, and cannot therefore be felt by pressing the hand on the hypogastrium.
‘The direction of the uterus is subject to changes which cannot be looked upon as abnormal. The fundus may be thrown backwards by a distended bladder, or forwards by a distended rectum. The axis of its cavity is not a straight but a curved line; and uterine sounds should be shaped to suit it.’
NOTES.
[1] Some pertinent remarks on this subject have been made by Mr. C. Heath in a pamphlet ‘On Anatomy in relation to Physic.’
[2] In several adult normal skeletons measured in the Hunterian Museum, the average diameters of the upper opening of the chest were—antero-posterior, about 2¼ inches; transverse, about 4½ inches. In the skeleton of O’Brien, the Irish giant, the antero-posterior diameter measures 4 inches, the transverse 6¼.
[3] Special experiments upon this subject were made many years ago by the late Professor Quekett in the work-rooms of the College of Surgeons.
[4] See a beautiful illustration of this in Sir C. Bell’s ‘Anatomy of Expression,’ p. 160.
[5] See some good observations on the position of the enlarged spleen, by Sir W. Jenner, ‘Brit. Med. Journ.,’ Jan. 16, 1869.
[6] ‘Lectures on Rest and Pain,’ by John Hilton, F.R.S. London, 1863. p. 280.
[7] Nélaton, ‘Pathologie chirurgicale,’ t. iv. p. 441. 1848.