One great danger which attends operations for the removal of cancerous organs is what may be called ‘post-operative cancer-infection’, that is, in the course of the operation tracts of connective tissue are opened up and become soiled with cells, which engraft themselves on this tissue and on the peritoneum, and give rise to extensive masses of cancer which are often described as recurrent cancer. This accident often causes the patient to die quicker than if the primary cancer had been left untouched. In the radical operation it is one of the essentials to avoid soiling the wound with cancer cells. This rule, of course, applies to operations for cancer in any part of the body. =Operation.= The steps of the radical abdominal operation advocated by Wertheim are as follows:-- As a preliminary, the cancerous cervix is treated by scraping, cauterizing, and disinfectants. It is an advantage to carry out these measures a few days before the main operation. The Trendelenburg position is indispensable and the abdomen is opened by a free median subumbilical incision. After isolating the intestines with dabs, the _ureters_ are exposed by incising the posterior layer of the broad ligament; they are then traced to the parametrium. It is necessary to avoid too free a disturbance of their vascular network or they will slough. The _bladder_ is then separated from the uterus. The _infundibulo-pelvic_, the _broad_, and the _round ligaments_ are ligatured and divided. The particular order in which they are dealt with is not a matter of consequence. The uterine vessels are secured in the following manner:--The index finger is pushed along the ureter through the parametrium towards the bladder, until the tip of the finger appears there; the vessels are then raised on the finger, which covers the ureter so as to protect it whilst the vessels are ligatured and divided. As soon as the uterine vessels are divided the vesical segments of the ureters are exposed, cleaned if necessary, and separated from the cancerous cervix. The posterior layer of the peritoneum is divided and the rectum separated from the vagina: at this stage the uterus is sufficiently isolated from the surrounding structures to allow of removal. This is effected in the following way:-- The two layers of the parametrium are taken off as close as possible to the pelvic wall, and the vagina closed with bent clamps and divided below them: the clamps are used to prevent soiling the operation-area with cancerous cells. In order to extirpate the _lymph glands_, the peritoneum is divided upwards and the iliac vessels laid bare, and every enlarged gland from the division of the aorta to the obturator foramen is removed and the oozing vessels carefully secured. The wound is treated in the following way:--