t)14 PLAIN FACTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG 



will, in a large proportion of these cases, be found to 

 be the real source or cause of the patient's suffering, 

 and complete relief will be afforded by attention to 

 these conditions. (See treatment recommended for 

 ''Prolapsus, or Falling of the Womb," and ''Other 

 Forms of Displacement.") 



Vesico- and Recto- Vaginal Fistulae.— In cases of 

 difficult and prolonged childbirth, the septum between 

 the rectum and the vagina is sometimes injured to such 

 an extent that a rupture occurs, and an opening is 

 formed between the bladder and the rectum into the 

 canal. This opening may be made to close up, in many 

 instances, by frequent and prolonged vaginal injec- 

 tions with hot water; but this measure is generally 

 insufficient, and a permanent opening is formed, caus- 

 ing much inconvenience and suffering, sometimes pro- 

 ducing a most loathsome, repulsive condition. The 

 only cure for these cases is through a surgical opera- 

 tion, which can be performed without risk to life, and 

 with little or no suffering on the part of the patient, 

 by a surgeon who is skilled and experienced in this 

 class of cases. There is no operation a surgeon is 

 called upon to perform in which the results are more 

 satisfactory than this. 



Tumors of the Womb.— The worst morbid growths 

 to which the womb is subjected are polypus and fibroid 

 tumors. Polypi seldom attain a large size. They are 

 usually attached to some portion of the canal of the 

 womb, sometimes by long, slender pedicles. In a case 

 recently operated upon by the author, the tumor itself 

 was not larger than a bean, but was attached by a pedi- 

 cle nearly six inches in length. 



The proper treatment of these growths is removal. 

 It is usually necessary to treat the point from which 



