CASTRATION OF CRYPTORCHIDS 37 



moved it through the wound. A loop of the small 

 intestine dropped through the peritoneal rent be- 

 hind the vas deferens of the testicle which had 

 been removed at a prior date, the intestine be- 

 came strangulated and the patient succumbed. 

 Had such a result been anticipated or thought of 

 as a possibility all danger could have been obvi- 

 ated, after the rent had been made, by rupturing 

 the vas deferens, thus leaving no place for the 

 incarceration of the viscera. 



So with other complications which may arise. 

 The operator should preserve his equanimity, 

 and, in cases of error or unexpected complica- 

 tions, promptly and coolly meet the conditions. 

 To this end, the operator needs be fully prepared 

 for emergencies, have the surroundings in all es- 

 sentials suitable, have abundant help at hand, 

 and, beyond all else, needs be in good physical 

 condition, free from fatigue of body or mind. 



In the one fatal error we have recorded, the 

 difficulty was largely referable to the fact that 

 the writer was ill, and should, by all rules of pro- 

 fessional action, have been in bed instead of at 

 the operating table. Good surgical work requires 



