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diaphragm

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diaphragm

Barrier contraceptive that is passed into the vagina to fit over the cervix (neck of the uterus), preventing sperm from entering the uterus. For a cap to be effective, a spermicide must be used and the diaphragm left in place for six to eight hours after intercourse. This method is 97% effective if practised correctly.

In the USA, diaphragms are prescribed by physicians, who fit them for size; they may then be purchased in drug stores or at clinics.

diaphragm

In mammals, a thin muscular sheet separating the thorax from the abdomen. It is attached by way of the ribs at either side and the breastbone and backbone, and a central tendon. Arching upwards against the heart and lungs, the diaphragm is important in the mechanics of breathing. It contracts at each inhalation, moving downwards to increase the volume of the chest cavity, and relaxes at exhalation.

The diaphragm has three large openings: one for the oesophagus and vagus nerves, one for the aorta, thoracic duct and azygos vein, and one for the inferior vena cava.



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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
"Very likely," says the doctor: "I have known people eat in a fever; and it is very easily accounted for; because the acidity occasioned by the febrile matter may stimulate the nerves of the diaphragm, and thereby occasion a craving which will not be easily distinguishable from a natural appetite; but the aliment will not be concreted, nor assimilated into chyle, and so will corrode the vascular orifices, and thus will aggravate the febrific symptoms.
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, Henry View in context
It was Watson who took the telephone as Bell had made it, really a toy, with its diaphragm so delicate that a warm breath would put it out of order, and toughened it into a more rugged machine.
The History of the Telephone by Casson, Herbert N. View in context
A woman can sob from the top - of her palate, or her lips, or anywhere else, but a man must cry from his diaphragm, and it rends him to pieces.
The Man Who Was by Kipling, Rudyard View in context
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