A treatise on retention of urine : caused by strictures in the urethra, and of the means by which obstructions of this canal may be effectually removed / by Théodore Ducamp ; translated from the French, with notes and additions, by William M. Herbert.

  • Ducamp, Théodore, 1793-1823.
Date:
1827
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on retention of urine : caused by strictures in the urethra, and of the means by which obstructions of this canal may be effectually removed / by Théodore Ducamp ; translated from the French, with notes and additions, by William M. Herbert. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    subject. He injected the urethra with melted wax, which when cool he removed from the surrounding soft parts, in such a manner as to obtain an exact impression of the canal. The wax thus moulded measured as follows. [These experiments were made on the bodies of two persons, of whom one was between 70 and 80, and the other 30 years of age.] Subject Subject of 80 of 30. Lines. Lines. At the distance of 9 lines from the orifice - 5 - 4£ At 4 inches 3 lines - - - --4.4 6| inches, at the bulb 7 - 1\ 7 in. at the commencement of the memb. p. 4 - 2£* 7 in. 9 lines, near the prostate - - - - 5 - 4 8 in. at the commencement of the prost. port. 4 - 3| 8 in. 3 lines, at the centre of the p. p. - - 6 - 5^ 85 in. at the neck of the bladder - - - 5 - 4^t We find from these researches that the orifice of the urethra, which is from 2^ to 3 lines in diameter, is nar- rower by one line than the rest of the canal, which in the greater part of its extent is 4 lines in diameter. The knowledge of these facts is important, because we can obtain a radical cure of strictures in the urethra only by restoring it to its natural calibre. Now if we compare the dimensions of bougies or catheters with those of the canal, we shall see that this result has never been attained; for the largest catheters in use, No. 12, are but three lines in diameter. * There was a stricture at this point. t + Practical observations on the treatment of Strictures in the Urethra, by Everard Home. Third edition, octavo, 3 vols. London, 1805. Vol. I, p. 24.