Introduction: Importance of subject. Apparent increase in incidence due to better records.
Review of Literature: Dearth of American and English studies. Statistical tables. Irritation vs. embolism as contributing causes. The rôle of the anesthetic.
Presentation of Material: Fifty-five complications, eleven deaths in 1,562 operations. Division into groups. Discussion of groups.
General Discussion: General factors, age, incidence by seasons, relation to kind of anesthesia. The part chilling, trauma, general condition, anesthesia, preexisting pulmonary disease and sepsis play. Discussion of the mechanism of embolism.
Summary and Conclusions: Embolism the chief factor. Prophylaxis by selection of cases, reduction of sepsis and trauma and careful anesthesia.
INTRODUCTION
In the last twenty years with the rapid development of surgery, its spread to ever widening fields and the brilliancy of many of its therapeutic results, much of the wholesome respect for the dangers involved in even a simple operation, which lay so heavy on our forebears,