WHEN an irreducible hernia is present in the groin, the chances are even that it is a femoral hernia. Femoral hernias, despite their rarity, commonly represent surgical emergencies, whereas strangulation occurs in only 1 per cent of inguinal hernias. It is not unusual for a femoral hernia to make its first appearance in the form of strangulation. In fact, this occurred in about 50 per cent of the cases presented. Because of this disposition to early incarceration and strangulation, the mortality of femoral hernia has been relatively high.
In a study of the relative frequency of femoral and inguinal hernia the incidence was found to vary from 2 per cent of all hernias at the Henry Ford Hospital1 to 5 per cent at St. Luke's Hospital, New York2; studies at both hospitals covered the same twenty year period. The combination of a low comparative incidence with a high