Excerpt from Diseases of the Rectum and Anus: Their Pathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Divisions - For convenience of description the rectum is usu ally divided into three portions, named first, second, and third, from above downward. The third extends from the anus to the tip of the prostate, is about an inch and a half long, is firmly closed by the sphincters, and gives attachment to a portion of the levator ani muscle. On account of the direction of this por tion, which is the reverse of that next above, the finger should never be passed toward the sacrum, or even directly inward, in making an examination but rather toward the pubes. Bearing this simple anatomical point in mind will Often save the patient much unnecessary suffering. The second portion is often de scribed as reaching from the apex of the prostate to the recto vesical fold of peritoneum; but, as the point of duplicature of the peritoneum is not only variable in different individuals, but at different times in the same individual, it is better to adopt a fixed bony point, as the third piece of the sacrum in which case the middle portion will measure about three inches in length. This portion, it will be remembered, is convex backward, fol lowing the curve of the sacrum. The first portion extends from the third sacral vertebra to the left sacro-iliac synchondrosis; its lower part is partially, and its upper completely, surrounded by peritoneum, which, in the upper part, forms the meso-rectum attaching it to the sacrum. 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.