ecame clear." The
_Lancet_ gave no reason for this sudden change in condition and it may
have been the excitement and strain of the drive through cheering masses
of the London populace. "At ten o'clock Tuesday morning (24th) the
urgency of an operation was explained to His Majesty. Recognizing that
his ardent hope that the Coronation arrangements might not be upset must
be disappointed he cheerfully resigned himself to the inevitable. Before
the actual decision upon an operation was arrived at Sir Frederick
Treves took the advice of two other sergeant-surgeons to the King, Lord
Lister and Sir Thomas Smith. They, as well as Sir Thomas Barlow and Sir
Francis Laking, came to the unanimous conclusion that no course but an
operation was possible in all the circumstances. To delay would, in
fact, be to allow His Majesty to risk his life." Such appears to have
been the plain statement of this serious incident. Following the
operation the course of the disease was steadily towards recovery and
without serious complications of any kind. Danger at first there was and
neither physicians, nor family, nor the public could feel anything like
assurance of recovery.

PROGRESS TOWARDS RECOVERY

The London _Times_ went out of its way to warn the people against
over-confidence in the result, and the bulletins were cautious in the
extreme. On June 25th the King was said to have been very restless and
without sleep during the early part of the night. He was, however, free
from pain, and his five physicians declared that, under all the
circumstances, he might be described as "progressing satisfactorily." On
June 26th they reported His Majesty's condition as satisfactory, his
strength as having been well maintained, and the wound as doing well.
The reports of June 27th showed a normal temperature, no disquieting
symptoms and, finally, a substantial improvement. On the next day the
five physicians issued the following bulletin: "We are happy to be able
to state that we consider His Majesty out of immediate danger. His
general condition is satisfactory. The operation wound, however, still
needs constant attention and such concern as attaches to His Majesty's
case is connected with the wound. Under the most favourable condition
His Majesty's recovery must of necessity be protracted." The bulletins
thenceforward were regular in their statements of slow and steady
improvement. On July 2d it was announced that the wound was beginning to
heal; t