Abstract: A method for making a cervical contraceptive diaphragm provides for fabricating the entire dome assembly in a separate step, thereafter inserting a toroidal spring within a toroidal chamber pre-formed in a flange affixed to the base of the dome structure, the spring being sealed in by a separate sealing process preferably by a thin filament of vulcanizable rubber laid along the flange away from the spring. Local heating of the filament to cure it and seal the flange about the spring provides for a spring not interpenetrated by liquid elastomer during the curing process, resulting in a free floating spring. The method allows the fabrication of structures employing relatively stiff springs of limited radial compliance, so that the diaphragm may be removed from the first forming mold with minimum loss arising from tearing of the lip.

Abstract: A spatula for collecting cancer cells outside and within the cervix canal includes a scraper head having a laterally extending outer cervix engaging leg projecting from one side of the head. The head further includes a cervical canal entering finger-like portion projecting longitudinally beyond the leg. The finger-like portion has on the same side of the scraping head from which said leg projects a longitudinal inner scraping surface which scrapes cells from the wall of the cervical canal when the spatula is rotated along the longitudinal axis of the spatula. The longitudinal inner surface of the finger-like portion comprises two adjacent longitudinally extending sections, one of which has a rough surface which scrapes cells from the wall of the cervical canal and the other of which has a relatively smooth surface.