ANOCIATION 253 



however, mere mortality statistics may be of little 

 value to one who contemplates the fact that even a 

 mediocre operator, who possesses the liberty and the 

 judgment to operate only upon those cases which pre- 

 sent the required amount of strength to endure his 

 technique and his hospital organization, can show as low 

 a mortality rate as the most expert operator who is sup- 

 ported by the best trained staff but dealing with graver 

 risks. A better clue to the comparative value of 

 methods is to be found in a study of postoperative mor- 

 bidity records. Here anociation has assuredly proved 

 its superiority. In comparison with the past records 

 of patients operated under the same general conditions 

 of hospital organization and mechanical technique, but 

 without the protection of anociation, the records of the 

 anoci-protected cases show a striking diminution in the 

 long train of distressing conditions which are the 

 usual sequelae to operations under ether anesthesia. 

 Shock, gas pain, nausea and vomiting, backache, asep- 

 tic wound fever, pneumonia, nephritis, painful scar, 

 neurasthenia and hyperthyroidism are all diminished 

 or wholly prevented by operation under anociation. 



In the diminution of each one of these common 

 sequelce to surgical operations, there is to be found a 

 significant corroboration of the kinetic theory. 



The Kinetic Theory of Peritonitis and Postoperative 

 Gas Pain 



The occurrence and prevention of postoperative 

 gas pain may be explained on a biologic basis in the fol- 

 lowing manner : Prior to the era of aseptic surgery, it 

 may be believed that most if not all abdominal wounds 



