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847. I want you first of all to tell these gentlemen what abdominal cases you had during that fortnight in your practice outside of the Hospital ? —I had three abdominal operations. 848. The Chairman.] Is that all you had during the week ended the 22nd July ?—From the Sunday to Sunday, both Sundays included. 849. Please answer my question more closely. I want you to take the period from the 9th July to ihe 22nd July, and say how many abdominal operations you performed in Dunedin in your private practice—that is, outside of the Hospital ?—Three. 850. What was the nature of them ?—On the 13th I made an exploratory incision on a man. 851. An exploratory incision for what ? —An internal tumour of a doubtful nature. 852. Then, you had three abdominal sections ? —Yes. 853. Mr. Solomon.] That was a growth of a doubtful nature. What was the second operation? —The removal of stone from the gall-bladder. 854. And the third case ? —Double oophorectomy and a cliterid ectomy. 855. You had also, I think, a confinement case ? —Yes, with a ruptured perineum. 856. In what condition was the man on whom you performed this exploration at the time you performed it ?—He was in bad health; he had a high temperature. 857. The Chairman.] You say it was a bad case ? —lt was. 858. Mr. Solomon.] In none of these four cases—three abdominal sections and one of confinement—from the time of operation until the time of recovery was there the slightest indication of septic mischief ? —No, there was none. They all recovered without the slightest sign of septic mischief. 859. Any rise in temperature? —The man I operated on on the 13th had a high temperature, but the wound healed all right. 860. The results in all these cases were perfectly successful ?—Yes. 861. The Chairman.] The wounds all healed, you say, as far as possible?— Yes; everything did as well as I could have wished, at any rate. 862. Mr. Solomon.] For these operations you used, I suppose, your private instruments?—l did. 863. And in all these cases did you attend yourself to the dressings, and so on?—I did, entirely by myself. In one of these cases—the removal of stone from the gall-bladder—l dressed it regularly three times a day for ten days. 864. Now we will come to the Hospital during the same period—from the 9th July to the 22nd July. Tell us the names of the cases in which you operated in the Hospital during that period? —There was Mrs. P . 865. The Chairman.] How many cases were there ?—Three. I think that is all. 866. Of abdominal sections ?—No; there was not an abdominal section amongst them ; they were all simple cases. The Chairman : They do not compare strictly with the cases outside we have been dealing with. Mr. Solomon : No, except from an a fortiori point of view. 867. Mr. Solomon.] Mrs. P was operated on on the 9th July, was she not? —Yes. 868. For Emmet ?—For a tear in the mouth of the womb. 869. That is what is technically called Emmet's operation, is it not ?—Yes. 870. The next case was? —Mrs. S , on the 15th. 871. That was also for Emmet ?—Yes. 872. And No. 3 case was whose ?—Mrs. T , for a labial cyst. She was operated on on the 19th. 873. The Chairman.] Were these all the operations in the Hospital that week? —Not as far as I am aware. 874. But you had no other operations yourself?—No ; there were no others of my cases. 875. Mr. Solomon.] Take first of all the case of Mrs. P , an Emmet's operation. Is that by any means a difficult operation?—lt is a nice operation—that is, it requires nicety. 876. Is there greater or lesser risk of septic trouble following an operation such as that than in the cases which you have mentioned as having occurred in your outside practice ?—Very much less risk. I never saw septic mischief ensue before. I have performed thirty cases—possibly more, but I cannot be certain about the numbers, as I have not kept records—but I never saw septic mischief before. 877. And you say that you never saw septic mischief arise, although you have performed about thirty operations ? —Yes ; I never saw septic mischief arise before. 878. In the case of Mrs. P—-—, (operated on on the 9th July,) I suppose that you made a careful examination of the woman to see if she was in proper health ? —Yes, I made several examinations before operating. 879. Did you satisfy yourself that she was in a fit state of health to be operated on ?—lt took me a long time. 880. But did you satisfy yourself on that point ?—1 did. I kept her under treatment for some length of time before operating, because there were symptoms which I did not like. For nearly two months she was in the Hospital—she was admitted on the 15th May—under preliminary treatment. I was doubtful what operation I should perform. 881. But you were ultimately satisfied?— Yes, that she was in a safe condition to be operated on. 882. Was the operation itself successful ?—Yes, very fairly so. 883. From the 9th July to the 22nd July—that is, thirteen days—did this woman go on satisfactorily?—No; I cannot say that she went on,altogether satisfactorily. On one occasion she took a rise in temperature, which we thought to be due to some bilious derangement.