"I congratulate you, Nielsen.

I never saw anything done cleaner or better." "A successful operation, certainly!" the great surgeon admitted, with just pride in the Master's commendation.
"AND the patient ?" Hilda asked, wavering.
"Oh, the patient?
The patient will die," Nielsen replied, in an unconcerned voice, wiping his spotless instruments.
"That is not MY idea of the medical art," I cried, shocked at his callousness.

"An operation is only successful if--" He regarded me with lofty scorn.

"A certain percentage of losses," he interrupted, calmly, "is inevitable, of course, in all surgical operations.

We are obliged to average it.