Professor Simon, of Heidelberg, was the inventive genius of this improved method of examination, by means of a series of graded specula or hard rubber bougies, which are known by his name. The specula are simply small, smooth, pin-shaped, hard rubber bougies, about three inches in length, beginning with a size that is three-tenths of an inch in diameter, to the largest, which is eight-tenths of an inch in thickness. These are carefully introduced into the urethra, commencing with the smallest size, which is retained for a few minutes and then withdrawn, and the next size inserted, and this continued until the largest one has been inserted, or the required dilatation accomplished, either for the purpose of introducing the finger into the bladder, or exposing its lining membrane for inspection. While this procedure does not fall into the sphere of home treatment, it is of sufficient interest to women in general that they should know what can actually be accomplished by the expert specialist. Were I to review the malformations, or dislocations, of the bladder, or the history of stones in the bladder, or other foreign bodies, that the female specialist is very seldom called upon to treat, I should only worry the patience of the reader with things that she would not readily understand. The same is true of growths and tumors of the bladder, which have principally a scientific interest for the practitioner of medicine, but for the casual reader they are too profound in their details for a clear understanding. INFLAMMATION. Inflammation of the bladder is in medical language termed cystitis. It presents itself under two varieties or subdivisions, _acute_ and chronic, depending on the duration, whether recent or protracted. The disease begins in the mucous membrane, and the acute inflammation comes on suddenly. It rarely occupies the entire mucous surface of the bladder, but usually occurs in irregular spots. Some spots are as large as the palm of the hand, while others are only the size of a ten-cent piece. The parts that are most frequently affected, are the neck of the bladder and its posterior wall, although no portion of its lining membrane is exempt from inflammation.