Speculum (medical)
A speculum (Latin for "mirror"; plural specula or speculums) is a medical tool for investigating body cavities, with a form dependent on the body cavity for which it is designed. In old texts, the speculum may also be referred to as a diopter or dioptra. Like an endoscope, a speculum allows entry into a body cavity; endoscopes, however, tend to have optics while a speculum is intended for direct vision.
Read more about Speculum (medical): History, Construction, Types of Specula, Non-medical Uses
Famous quotes containing the word speculum:
“God bless the physician who warms the speculum or holds your hand and looks into your eyes. Perhaps one subtext of the health care debate is a yen to be treated like a whole person, not just an eye, an ear, a nose or a throat. A yen to be human again, on the part of patient and doctor alike.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)