COMMENTARY. Aëtius gives a fuller account of these tubercles. He recommends us to seize them with a forceps and cut them out by the roots. He directs us not to interfere with such hemorrhoids of the womb as are varicose and malignant. Those which are hard and do not bleed are to be cut out at once, but such as are disposed to bleed are to be seized with a forceps and a ligature put round them before they are cut. Moschion, however, condemns this practice as being highly dangerous. Albucasis evidently copies from our author. (Chirurg. ii, 73.) Haly Abbas briefly directs us to seize these tubercles with a forceps and cut them out with a pair of scissors. (Pract. ix, 65.) Rhases, treating of diseases of the uterus, says, “if there be a red piece of flesh in the mouth of the womb, if situated at its anterior part, and if it be round, or long, and not attended with pain, some surgeons cut it off, but I prefer tying it.” (Cont. xxii.) This description seems to apply to polypus of the womb. See a full account of the condylomata and hemorrhoids of the womb, by Lodovicus Mercatus (in the Gynæcia, p. 962.) He remarks that Celsus and Aëtius call any tubercle arising from inflammation by the name of condyloma, whereas Paulus applies the term only to callous tubercles of the uterus. He approves of seizing them with a forceps and cutting them out. SECT. LXXII.—ON IMPERFORATE PUDENDUM AND PHIMUS. Some women have the genital parts imperforate, sometimes naturally, and sometimes owing to some previous disease. And sometimes it is deep-seated, sometimes in the alæ pudendi, or in the intermediate places, and is sometimes occasioned by an adhesion of the parts, and sometimes by obstruction. The obstructing substance is either flesh or membrane. The disease occasions great impediment sometimes in coition, sometimes in conception, or in parturition, and occasionally during the menstrual purgation, provided the membrane or flesh occasion a complete obstruction; for in certain cases there is a perforation in the middle. Having ascertained the cause, either from its being obvious to the sight, or by introducing the speculum, if it be a simple adhesion only, it may be separated by a straight incision, made with a scalpel, for operating upon fistulæ. But if it is an obstruction, having transfixed the connecting body, whether it be membrane or flesh, with hooks, we stretch it and divide with a scalpel for fistulæ; and having stopped the hemorrhage with such applications as are desiccative without being stimulant, we have then recourse to such medicines as promote cicatrization, applying a priapus-shaped tent covered with some epulotic medicine, in those cases especially in which the operation is performed upon a part not very deep-seated, in order that the parts may not unite again. And the phimus which is formed at the mouth of the uterus is operated upon in the same manner. * * * * *