The doctor uses a urethral sound

The stocky man with gray hair grips a sounding rod, sliding it deep into the throat of the lean, clean-shaven one as he tilts his head back. While the other checks reflexes with a hammer on his arm, the rod glides past his Adam’s apple, probing the tight passage. Medical posters line the walls as fingers flex and legs are measured, this isn’t just a checkup, it’s a precise, invasive exam.