GASTRO-HYSTEROTOMY. 
423 
anxious to save her if possible. With this understanding, we 
procured a table over which was spread a clean rubber cover 
thoroughly scrubbed with soap and water and rinsed with a 
solution of bichloride of mercury ; above the table was sus¬ 
pended a large fountain syringe, filled with a solution of cre- 
olin and provided with a fine spray. A porcelain dish con¬ 
taining the necessary instruments was filled with the same 
fluid ; another was provided for submerging sponges in a so¬ 
lution of bichloride; the patient was then shaved over the 
region of the flank after which the locality was scrubbed and 
rinsed with bichloride i to 1,000. Bichloride gauze and ban¬ 
dages were wrapped up in a clean towel and placed in a con¬ 
venient position ; and lastly, our hands were very thoroughly 
washed in hot water and soap, rinsed with creolin. The pa¬ 
tient placed upon the table, Dr. Lord administered the anes¬ 
thesia, which in this instance was chloroform until anesthesia 
was apparent, when ether was substituted. I then made a 
free incision through tKe skin, commencing an inch below 
and about the same distance anterior to the point of the ilium, 
and running obliquely down and forward, exposing the mus¬ 
cles, which were divided in like manner as nearly as possible 
with their fiber; the peritoneum was then divided by the fin¬ 
gers; the graved uterus was easily found and drawn through 
the opening as far as the attachments would permit, so that 
none of its contents could spill into and contaminate the 
wound. A clean towel wrung out of creolin solution was 
spread between the skin and the uterus, which was then in¬ 
cised longitudinally, and its contents, two puppies and pla¬ 
cental membranes, together with a quantity of fluid, carefully 
removed, after which the uterus was thoroughly cleansed 
with a weak solution of carbolic acid, and spraved for several 
seconds with peroxide of hydrogen. I have neglected to 
state that our creolin spray was continually kept on and about 
the wound during the whole procedure, and the instruments 
were religiously cleaned as used, and returned to the pan of 
antiseptic fluid. The uterus was then closed with interrupted 
sutures of carbolized catgut, and returned to its place; the 
muscles were also sutured, and the ends left long enough to 
