I shall present a study of a series of cases which have come directly under my observation. The literature is replete with contributions to the subject; so I have made no attempt to go into statistics from other sources, and can refer to no better contribution along this line than the one made by Hunt1 in a candidate's thesis presented to this society last year.
The clinical value of blood coagulation tests prior to tonsillectomy has always seemed somewhat doubtful to me, but as they are now employed more or less as a routine in many hospitals, and to some extent in the offices of otolaryngologists, the failure to use such tests, should complications arise, may prove embarrassing to the surgeon. This article is not to be regarded as an argument against making coagulation tests; rather, it is to present a practical study of a subject that has been