The Treatment of Hydrocele

To the Editor of " The Indian Medical Gazette." Sir,?In your October number there appeared a letter by Dr. J. G. Gillmore complaining of suppuration following the majority of hydrocele operations which he attributes to the too free use of ligatures. In this connection I thought that the statistics of the Fyzabad hospital, where a large number of such cases is dealt with, might be of interest. During the twelve months 1st October 1907 to 30th September 1908, 631 hydroceles occurring in 361 patients were operated on. Unfortunately, the registers do not state if suppuration occured or not but I think a fair opinion on this question can be obtained from the time the patients remained under treatment. There was one death which occurred suddenly three days after operation. No j)ost-mortem was obtainable ; the wound however was healthy. All the others except fifteen were discharged cured within ten days after operation, the great majority on the sixth or seventh day. I think it may be safely said that there could have been no suppuration in these