support it with his arms and hands. It was said that this hernia did
not enlarge until after his service as a soldier in the late war.

Abbott recites the case of an Irish woman of thirty-five who applied to
know if she was pregnant. No history of a hernia could be elicited. No
pregnancy existed, but there was found a ventral hernia of the
abdominal viscera through an opening which extended the entire length
of the linea alba, and which was four inches wide in the middle of the
abdomen.

Pim saw a colored woman of twenty-four who, on December 29, 1858, was
delivered normally of her first child, and who died in bed at 3 A.M. on
February 12, 1859. The postmortem showed a tumor from the ensiform
cartilage to the symphysis pubis, which contained the omentum, liver
(left lobe), small intestines, and colon. It rested upon the abdominal
muscles of the right side. The pelvic viscera were normally placed and
there was no inguinal nor femoral hernia.

Hulke reports a case remarkable for the immense size of the rupture
which protruded from a spot weakened by a former abscess. There was a
partial absence of the peritoneal sac, and the obstruction readily
yielded to a clyster and laxative. The rupture had a transverse
diameter of 14 1/2 inches, with a vertical diameter of 11 1/2 inches.
The opening was in the abdominal walls outside of the internal inguinal
ring. The writhings of the intestines were very conspicuous through the
walls of the pouch.

Dade reports a case of prodigious umbilical hernia. The patient was a
widow of fifty-eight, a native of Ireland. Her family history was good,
and she had never borne any children. The present dimensions of the
tumor, which for fifteen years had been accompanied with pain, and had
progressively increased in size, are as follows: Circumference at the
base, 19 1/2 inches; circumference at the extremity, 11 1/4 inches;
distance of extremity from abdominal wall, 12 3/4 inches. Inspection
showed a large lobulated tumor protruding from the abdominal wall at
the umbilicus. The veins covering it were prominent and distended. The
circulation of the skin was defective, giving it a blue appearance.
Vermicular contractions of the small intestines could be seen at the
distance of ten feet. The tumor was soft and velvety to the touch, and
could only partially be reduced. Borborygmus could be easily heard. On
percussion the note over the bulk was tympanitic, and dull at the base.
The distal extr