Notwithstanding this current belief a careful examination of the literature of medicine presents an astounding number of cases in which the heart has been positively wounded, and the patients have lived days, months, and even recovered; postmortem examination, by revealing the presence of cicatrices in the heart, confirming the original diagnosis.

This question is one of great interest as, in recent years, there has been constant agitation of the possibility of surgical procedures in cardiac as well as cerebral injuries.

Del Vecchio has reported a series of experiments on dogs with the conclusion that in case of wounds in human beings suture of the heart is a possible operation.

In this connection he proposes the following operative procedure: Two longitudinal incisions to be made from the lower border of the 3d rib to the upper border of the 7th rib, one running along the inner margin of the sternum, the other about ten mm.

inside the nipple-line.