Another practice that has come to be recognized quite generally among surgeons is that of painting the edges of the surgical wound with pure tincture of iodine just before the wound is to be closed with sutures. Whether this is good practice, on general principles, is a matter that is open to debate. If the painting is done carefully, so that a pool of iodine tincture is not formed by the surplus gathering by gravitation into the deeper recesses of the wound, this may be considered good practice. On the whole, however, it would appear that the iodine could act, in many instances, as an undesirable irritant when it comes in contact with delicate, freshly incised tissues. As the object, in modern surgery, is to eliminate all things, even the slightest, that may hinder prompt repair and smooth healing of the invaded tissues, the presence of such an active agent as pure tincture of iodine in a surgical wound may be looked upon as interfering with the carrying out of that object. On the other hand, in surgical wounds of an already infected character in which primary union would be out of the question, the application of pure tincture of iodine, in liberal amounts, can not be too highly endorsed. The latter statement applies, with even greater force, to all wounds of an accidental character in the fleshy portions of the anatomy. It is also the practice of many veterinary surgeons to apply pure tincture of iodine to the wound after the sutures have been put into place. This is a very satisfactory practice, if the painting is done gently and not too freely. An excess of the tincture of iodine--if the wound edges have not been coapted perfectly--may result in cause for stitch abscess when a considerable amount of the iodine becomes pocketed in some part of the wound under the line of suture. In certain animals, whose skins are very tender, the local application of pure tincture of iodine, previous to surgical incision, is followed, in a few days, by slight peeling of the integument. This is so rare an occurrence, however, and of so little consequence, that it need not be considered, and can not be looked upon as a drawback to this otherwise salutary practice. Aside from its use in the preparation of the surgical field, tincture of iodine is also used, in a prophylactic sense, to prepare the skin--in a similar manner--for the entrance of the hypodermic needle whenever a subcutaneous injection is to be made. It is not practical, nor necessary, in this instance, to shave away the hair; the site that has been selected for the needle puncture is merely painted liberally with the iodine. As in the case of a surgical incision area, so also here, the parts to which the application is made must be perfectly dry. 2. THE USE OF IODINE AS AN ADJUNCT TO INTERNAL MEDICATION IN THE CORRECTION OF ACUTE PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS.