danger. Any exposure, improper use of instruments, or irritating cause,
may speedily give rise to the alarming symptoms due to closure of the
urethra, from which fatal consequences may suddenly ensue.

[Illustration: Fig. 2.
A Single Stricture of the Urethra.]

This condition is illustrated in Fig. 2, which shows the hard and tough
stricture which surrounds the soft mucous membrane that lines the
urinary canal. When irritated or inflamed, as the result of a cold or
other cause, the mucous membrane becomes swollen and thickened, and, as
the stricture will not yield and enlarge, the result is that the urethra
is almost completely closed, and it becomes impossible to pass the
urine. Great pain is experienced, and the surgeon has to be called to
draw off the urine with a catheter, which, at best, is a very difficult
and painful operation, when the urethra is so irritable and constricted.

TREATMENT. In the earlier stages of the malady, relief is given by the
skillful use of instruments for dilating the canal, or, where this fails
by the operation of urethrotomy, for which we employ an improved and
ingenious instrument, by which the stricture is readily and almost
painlessly divided.

IMPROVED METHODS. Our surgeons have operated upon many hundreds of bad
cases by a very ingenious and almost painless method, that requires no
use of bougies in the after-treatment. This saves the patient an immense
amount of pain and annoyance, and enables him to go home almost
immediately after the operation.

The ordinary after-treatment, by dilatation with bougies, is very
tedious, and often more painful than the operation itself, so that our
peculiar method of treatment has been hailed with joy by those familiar
with the old and unnecessarily-painful systems of treatment. Besides,
our more improved method has been followed by far more perfect cures in
every case operated upon.

In many of the cases coming under our observation and treatment, there
have been several strictures, as illustrated in Fig. 3, which shows the
urethra constricted at three different points, besides a congenital
contraction at its mouth or meatus.

[Illustration: Fig. 3.
Condition of the Urethra with three Strictures and a congenital
contraction
at the meatus or outlet.]

SPERMATORRHEA not infrequently results from stricture of the urethra,
even when the affection is quite slight. Our attention was first called
to this subject by the consideration of the nu