210 Sir Everard Home on a new mode of performing 
The boy was laid with his back upon a table, his feet 
supported on a chair. An incision was made in the direction 
of the linea alba between the pyramidales muscles, beginning 
at the pubes, and extending upwards four inches in length : 
it was continued down to the tendon. The linea alba was 
then pierced close to the pubes, and divided by a probe- 
pointed bistory to the extent of three inches. The pyrami- 
dales muscles had a portion of their origin at the symphisis 
pubis detached to make room. When the finger was passed 
down under the linea alba, the fundus of the bladder was 
felt covered with loose fatty cellular membrane. A silver 
catheter, open at the end, was now passed into the bladder 
by the urethra, and when the point was felt by the finger in 
the wound pressing up the fundus, a stilet that had been 
concealed was forced through the coats of the bladder, and 
followed by the end of the catheter. The stilet was then with- 
drawn, and the opening through the fundus of the bladder 
enlarged toward the pubes by a probe-pointed bistory suffi- 
ciently to admit two fingers, and then the catheter was with- 
drawn. The fundus of the bladder was held up by one 
finger, and the stone examined by the fore-finger of the 
right hand. A pair of forceps with a net attached was passed 
down into the bladder, and the stone directed into it by the 
finger : the surface being very rough, the stone stuck upon the 
opening of the forceps, and being retained there by the 
finger, was extracted A slip of linen had one end intro- 
duced into the bladder, and the other was left hanging out of 
the wound, the edges of which were brought together by 
adhesive plaster. A flexible gum catheter, without the stilet, 
was passed into the bladder by the urethra, and kept there 
