480 
M. H. REYNOLDS. 
For instance : “ Never operate without exhausting every possi¬ 
ble means of making a correct diagnosis.” “ Never operate 
without familiarizing yourself with the operation to be per¬ 
formed.” “Never foster dexterity (and speed) at the expense 
of judicious technique.” “ Never perform an operation requir¬ 
ing delicate manipulation without the aid of an anaesthetic.” 
To these I would like to add : Never commence an operation 
until you are ready. I occasionally violate this one myself, but 
nevertheless I dislike to see a surgeon commence an operation, 
then chase off first after one instrument and then another, stop¬ 
ping to hunt for bandages or learning for the first time that he 
has no cocaine or his hypodermic needles are all lost or broken. 
And I would add one other to this list: Never pick or piece. 
Make clean, free incisions as long as needed at the first stroke, 
and do not keep on picking and picking after the operation is 
practically finished and the horse should be released. 
Members of this association who are especially interested in 
practical disinfection should secure a copy of the Lomb Prize 
Essay on “Disinfection and Individual Prophylaxis against. 
Infectious Diseases,” by Dr. Sternberg. This essay was origin¬ 
ally written in 1886 and soon became an accepted authority 
and guide for practical disinfection. The author has recently 
made a revision which includes newer antiseptics and newer 
methods, bringing the whole thing up to date. Copies may be 
secured by writing H. Eomb, Supt. of Essay Dept., American 
Public Health Association, Rochester, N. Y. 
The fifth series of 100 laparotomies are reported by Dr. 
Heinricius, quoted in the St. Paul Medical Journal for April. 
This series of 100 laparotomies were followed by four deaths. 
At least two were inevitable, as shown by post-mortems. I 
bring this item before a veterinary association for two reasons: 
1st, because we should all be interested in problems of compar¬ 
ative medicine ; and, 2d, as calling attention to the wonderful 
strides that have been made in human surgery. 
I have been somewhat interested in an article published by 
the Medical Record , April 7, 1900, 011 “Summary of Cases of 
