The Mayo operation for umbilical hernia was a great advance over the previous unsatisfactory methods of treatment. Ample evidence of this is found in the acclaim with which the operation is hailed in textbooks and other publications appearing during the years following its introduction. It became the standard surgical procedure and is so regarded today. Various minor modifications in the arrangement of flaps and sutures have been published, without material change in the principles of operation. Perhaps the present suggestion may seem merely another such modification, but it is believed that it differs in its basic mechanics and is presented for what it is worth. I have done only the Mayo operation until recently. One patient operated on by this method some six years ago returned after about three years with a slight but definite recurrence consisting of a bulge at the extreme lateral margin of the repair. The trouble