Excerpt from A Practical Textbook of the Diseases of Women Some progress has been made towards deciding whether the supra-vaginal amputation of the cervix, or total extirpation of the uterus, should be the treatment for cancer of the cervix in cases suitable for radical treatment. For cancer beginning in the vaginal portion there can be no doubt that the supra-vaginal amputation of the cervix is the right treatment. For cancer beginning in the cervix above the vaginal portion, it seems probable that, if the case is seen early enough, vaginal hysterectomy ought to be preferred. For primary cancer of the body there is, of course, only total extirpation. All authorities are not yet agreed that vaginal hysterectomy for cancer is more dangerous than the supra-vaginal amputation of the cervix. My own opinion, however, based on a considerable experience of both operations, is that total extirpation is de cidedly more dangerous, both as regards the risks necessarily attending the operative manipulations, and also as being a severe test of the vital powers of the patient. My experience of it so far has not been unfavourable - viz., seven cases with one death. In four of these cases the Operation was undertaken for primary cancer of the body of the uterus, and all these recovered; in the other three it was done for cancer of the cervix, and one of these died. It must be borne in mind that the operation itself, as an operation, is very much more difficult for primary cancer of the body, inasmuch as in such cases the body of the uterus is so often greatly enlarged. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.