THE TEACHING OF PRACTICAL SURGERY. 
877 
FIRST YEAR. • 
Animal. No. Fatalities. Cause of Fatality. 
Bitch.26.o. 
Cat. 2.1. Sepsis 
Mare. 1.o. 
29 
SECOND YEAR. 
Bitch.67.3 . ' .2 Sepsis, 1 haemorrhage 
Cat. 8.1.1 Impure chloroform 
Mare. 7. . 
82 
THIRD YEAR. 
Bitch . '. . . . 77.O. 
Cat.13.i. ^ Chloroform 
Mare. 8.o. 
98 
Total .... 209 6 
Percentage of fatalities for three y r ears, 2.87. 
The fatal sepsis in the cat during the first year was par¬ 
tially explainable perhaps by the state of advanced pregnancy of 
the patient, as well as an accident during the operation. When 
partially recovering from anaesthesia she bit the operator se¬ 
verely in the hand, disturbing rather abruptly aseptic plans and 
technique. 
The two cases of fatal sepsis in bitches during the second 
year were undoubtedly due to imperfect cleansing of the opera¬ 
tor’s hands, the part of surgical technique which we find most 
difficult of all to teach effectively to students. 
By redoubling our efforts and improving our methods, our 
last year with 98 cases has been managed without a fatal case 
of sepsis. 
The fatality in the bitch from haemorrhage was due to the 
operator becoming in some way confused when our attention 
was temporarily directed elsewhere, and for some unexplain¬ 
able cause tore in two the iliac artery. 
The two chloroform fatalities both occurred in cats, one 
clearly due to impure chloroform, the quality of which had not 
