194 



BACTERIOLOGY. 



If solid substances, bits of tissue, etc., are to be intro- 

 duced into the peritoneum it becomes necessary to con- 

 duct the operation upon the lines of a laparotomy. The 

 hair should be shaved from a small area over the median 

 line, after which the skin is to be thoroughly washed. 

 A short longitudinal incision (about 2 cm. long) is then, 

 to be made in the median line through the skin, and 

 down to the fasciae. Two subcutaneous sutures, as. 

 employed by Halsted, are then to be introduced trans- 

 verse to the line of incision at about 1 cm. apart, and 



their ends left loose. This particular sort of suture 

 does not pass through the skin, but the needle is intro- 

 duced into the subcutaneous tissues along the edge of 

 the incision. In this case they are to pass into the 

 abdominal cavity and out again, entering at one side of 

 the line of incision and leaving at the other as indicated 

 by the solid and dotted lines in Fig. 39. (This figure 

 indicates the primary opening through the skin. By the 

 longitudinal dotted line is seen the opening to be made into 



