Why No One Can Design a Better Speculum

Http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/why-no-one-can-design-a-better-speculum/382534/

Tammy, there is something to put your mind to, design one that is better!!!

Self-warming is likely the first mandatory feature! 😃

There were some great comments in that article.

"There’s this really interesting line between torture device, disciplinary device, sexual device..." - part of the experience in play exams is the embarassment that the person feels.

"Some doctors worried that using the speculum even on proper women might somehow make them sex-crazed..." - I wonder what they might think about other objects women insert inside of themselves, some of which vibrate!

Very interesting, thanks for posting the article. I found this to still be true today:

In 1850, the Royal Medicine and Chirurgical Society of London held a standing-room-only meeting in which the community heard arguments for and against the speculum. These doctors worried that women would mistake the exam for a sexual experience. The British physician Robert Brudenell Carter reinforced this fear in his 1853 book, On the Pathology and Treatment of Hysteria, writing that he had “seen young unmarried women, of the middle class of society, reduced by constant use of the speculum to the mental and moral condition of prostitutes; seeking to give themselves the same indulgence by the practice of solitary vice; and asking every medical practitioner ... to institute an examination of the sexual organs.”

Anyone who practices medicine will agree with the above statement on some level of truth.

Great article. I'm surprised that the inflatable speculums didn't catch on - great idea. Strikes me as a much more comfortable way to view the cervix.

The British physician Robert Brudenell Carter reinforced this fear in his 1853 book, On the Pathology and Treatment of Hysteria, writing that he had “seen young unmarried women, of the middle class of society, reduced by constant use of the speculum to the mental and moral condition of prostitutes; seeking to give themselves the same indulgence by the practice of solitary vice

Presumably women of the higher classes never succumbed to such base temptations ... and those of the lower classes were of no account to begin with anyway... I suppose good doctors then never considered that women (out of sheer necessity) prostitute themselves for economic reasons and not for moral reasons.

Agracier i would seriously doubt the women of the higher classes ( the wealthy or the aristocracy) did not suffer the same. But in that period the medical profession would hardly want to include these women in such an inflammatory topic. In fact it was probably this class that were more likely to afford medical care and see a physician .

Very interesting article thanks

Agracier i would seriously doubt the women of the higher classes ( the wealthy or the aristocracy) did not suffer the same.

I was being sarcastic ... next time I'll see if I can pile it on a bit more ... ha ha.

Good article, the inflatable speculum does seem like a great idea

Does seem like the inflatable is good, aside from the fatal flaw of not being able to see the vaginal walls.

Excellent article... Thank you for posting it.

There are two posts in the "Instruments and Clothing" section on inflatable speculums. The older post has responses from individuals who actually used them and their opinions. The link in that post no longer works but a Google search still turns up 386,000 hits - Zity.Biz is at the top.

Believe it or not, I purchased some of the inflatables for play use. I believe I still have a few somewhere. The few times I was able to use them, my play partners were less than enthused. We found a few problems with them.

Inserting them wasn't much of a problem. They are roughly the diameter of a tampon before inflation, but obviously a bit longer. One playmate did notice that they felt a bit "crinkly" due to the plastic.

Opening them is pretty easy for the examiner, but a little unnerving for the patient. The speculum inflates using a small hand pump that looks like the bulb on a blood pressure cuff. There is a plastic covering that keeps the speculum closed during insertion. That same piece releases with a bit of a "pop" that you can both hear and feel. Once it "pops", the opening of it is rather abrupt. Think of a balloon popping and you get the idea.

Possibly the biggest problem with these is that it is a "all or nothing" use. You either inflate it fully, which causes dilation that would probably be excessive for virgins or women on the small side, or the speculum gets in the way due to not making a perfect "tube".

Perhaps someone will make a better inflatable, but after using it, I can see why this one didn't catch on.

Having used.many different types of speculum, I feel that the simplest designs work the best. It's hard to beat a Collins for it's ease of use and it's good field of view. It's great that people are trying to design a better one, but there are only so many ways to open up a vagina.

Have to agree with Funnorfolkguy on the inflatable speculum. Other problem with them was that the plastic cover that held them together and was suppose to break when inflated. The cover would not break entirely and a strip of plastic near the cervix held together and pressed uncomfortably against the cervix - think of dental floss being pressed tight over the cervix

I would have to agree with Dr Stiffler that the Collins speculum is probably the best designed in terms of ease of use, good field of view and also patient comfort ( with its wide Blades). I also like the Miller's speculum with the ability not only to adjust the blades but also the angle of the blades.The right adjustment wheel spreads the blades up to 3.5 inches wide. The left adjustment wheel adjusts the angle of the blades. So it is one the most adjustable speculum to use.

I have a Miller's as well, but I still like the simplicity of the Collins. I did see some interesting new designs like the Guttman, the Trelat, the Sullivan, and the Full View Graves.

I always like to try out new speculums and evaluate them for their ease of use, patient comfort, and field of view. Perhaps someday I will post a detailed evaluation report (including pictures) where I test my complete collection on a standardized patient (pretend of course).