In  plugging  the  posterior  nares,  should  the  surgeon  not  be  able  to  ob-
tain Bellocq's  canula,  he  may  readily  carry  a  ligature  through  the  nostril
and  mouth  by  means  of  a  common  elastic  catheter,  the  ligature  being
passed  through  the  eye  of  the  instrument,  the  latter  being  withdrawn  after
the  pellet  is  in  position.  After  the  lapse  of  several  hours,  the  lint  in  front
of  the  nostril  should  be  removed  by  the  fingers  or  forceps,  and  that  from


FIG.  72.— A  section  of  the  nose,  mouth,  soft  palate,  uvula,  tonsil,  pharynx,  upper  part  of  the
oesophagus,  and  trachea,  showing  the  route  taken  by  the  Eustachian  tube  catheter  along  the  infe-
rior meatus  and  floor  of  the  nostril  into  the  orifice  of  the  Eustachian  tube.  (After  Allen.)

the  posterior  nares  displaced,  either  by  pressing  it  into  the  throat  by  a
probe,  when  it  may  be  drawn  out  by  the  thread  left  attached  to  it  for
this  purpose,  or  it  may  be' removed  by  simply  employing  the  end  of  the
ligature  left  in  the  mouth.
When  the  position  of  the  orifice  of  the  Eustachian  tube  is  recollected,
it  will  be  seen  that  the  introduction  of  a  catheter  into  the  mouth  of  that


120  PRACTICAL    MEDICAL    ANATOMY.
tube  is  a  simple  operation,  though  the  verbiage  in  which  it  has  often  been
described  tends  to  create  a  belief  in  its  being  difficult.
The  patient  is  seated  with  the  head  thrown  slightly  backward  and
firmly  supported,  while  the  surgeon  takes  the  catheter  in  his  right  hand,
and,  after  oiling  it,  introduces  it  into  the  nostril  on  the  side  to  be  dilated.
