BLADDER SUTURE FOUR YEARS AFTER OPERATION

About three years ago1I described a case of intraperitoneal rupture of the urinary bladder in which operation was performed seventy-seven hours after the receipt of injury. The patient made a good recovery and was entirely free from any bladder symptoms subsequently. Four years after the operation the man died of pneumonia and the bladder was removed at the post-mortem examination. There were no adhesions along the suture line. The scar of the rupture is represented by a thin line 2¼ inches in length. At the time of the operation the rent easily admitted four fingers. An additional point of interest is the fact that a careful search failed to reveal any trace of the continuous silk suture used at the operation. Coal-Mine Accidents. —The risk of coal mining is greatest during the winter months, when the liability of serious mine explosions is increased by the drying