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tion, it presented a well defined and regular contraction, which 

 looked as if it had been produced by a ligature thrown around the 

 artery. Beyond this, the vessel resumed Aery nearly its natural 

 dimensions, and so continued throughout its course. It gave origin, 

 in its whole length, to the usual branches ; the upper pair of inter- 

 costals coming off immediately below the stricture. The internal 

 mammary arteries, which pursued their course along the thoracic 

 parietes in a very tortuous manner, were fully as large as the internal 

 iliacs, and so were the epigastrics; these vessels constituting the 

 main channels for keeping up the connection of the circulation above 

 and below the aortic stricture. 



From answers that have been received to the circular letter of the 

 committee, some facts have been communicated for the Association, 

 which they will now endeavour to give, as far as possible, in the 

 language of their correspondents. Dr. March, of Albany, describes 

 what he believes to be an easy and prompt mode of effecting the 

 radical cure of hydrocele. His operation consists in using a pretty 

 large sized round trocar, by which the puncture is made, and through 

 the canula of which the water is permitted to flow out. The canula 

 is to be kept still in the sac, and through it a camel's hair pencil, 

 dipped into a solution of the iodide of potassium is to be passed, 

 and the whole inner surface of the tunic painted over, which may 

 require the pencil to be armed with the solution three or four times. 

 He adds, that he has operated in this way in a number of instances 

 with complete and most satisfactory success. 



Dr. Horner, of Philadelphia, in his communication to the com- 

 mittee remarks, that he has found the treatment of hydrocele ren- 

 dered much more certain by the introduction of a few threads passed 

 through the tunica vaginalis from the bottom to the top, even where 

 the process by injection is the main feature of the case. His expe- 

 rience has shown him that no injection is to be wholly relied on, 

 unless in connection with subsequent treatment. The effect of any 

 irritating injection into the tunica vaginalis, he observes, is not only 

 to produce a secretion of lymph, but also of serum, and if the latter 

 accumulates, it will of course keep separated the opposed sides of 

 the tunica vaginalis, hence a common cause, perhaps the most fre- 

 quent, of failure in all injections. This obstacle, he adds, may be 

 very easily overcome with four or five threads of silk, which will 

 carry off the serum as fast as it is secreted, and thus allow the two 

 surfaces of plastic membrane to touch and coalesce. 



Dr. Brainard, of Chicago, has forwarded for the consideration of 



