ON NASAL POLYPI. 
655 
These polypous productions obstruct the passage of the air, 
impede the breathing more or less, and often give birth to 
roaring. 
Polypi of the nasal cavities are more or less prolonged in the 
nostrils. They are more difficult to be perceived the higher up 
they are situated. We may assure ourselves of the existence of a 
tumour of this nature in one of the nasal passages, when, on put- 
ing our hand to the orifice of the nostril, there issues little or no 
air, according to the size of the tumour; or, when we sound the 
nostril with the finger or a probe; or, lastly, by examining the 
nostril on a bright day. 
The methods of destroying polypi in the nasal cavity vary with 
the texture, size, form, and position of these excrescences. 
Excision with the bistoury or with scissars may be tried when the 
polypi are near the orifice of the nostril, and particularly when it 
is not large at the base. Excision ought to be followed by cau¬ 
terization with the red-hot iron, by which a portion of the base of 
the tumour is destroyed, which could not be reached by a sharp 
instrument. To proceed to these operations, it is frequently neces¬ 
sary to cut through the false nostril. The edges of the wound 
may afterwards be united by a suture. 
Ligature, or circular compression, exercised immediately on the 
pedicle of the polypi by means of a wire or a waxed string, and di¬ 
rected into the nasal cavity by means of a proper instrument, 
may be tried when the polypus is deeply situated, and particularly 
when its base is narrow. But, for this operation, which is very 
difficult to perform, and which may be followed by new polypous 
productions when the base is not perfectly destroyed, we may 
substitute the forcible detachment, especially when we have 
to act on vesicular and soft excrescences. 
The extirpation, or forcible detachment, is performed by means 
of strong forceps, with deep roughnesses or teeth on their blades, 
and by means of which the polypus is twisted after it has been 
seized near the pedicle. 
The haemorrhage, if it does not cease of itself, may be stopped 
by plugging up the nostril. In this case, if both nostrils are 
affected with polypous productions, only one must be operated 
on at a time. 
When the polypous tumour is placed in the upper part of the 
nostril, and cannot be reached by any of the means that we have 
pointed out, we must have recourse to the trephine, by which we 
make, above or where we suspect the existence of the morbid 
production, an opening sufficient to extract it. 
