The cause of death is vitally necessary. In some cases, the ordinary contents of the embalmer's grip or hand bag are sufficient for the usual needs. In other cases, extra material of various kinds are necessary, for instance, the rubber floor covering for the carpet in dropsical cases; the sanitary clothes in eruptive contagious diseases; the fumigating outfit in the same diseases, (providing this duty is not performed by the health authorities); and other articles needed only in the treatment of special cases. After obtaining the above information, examine your grip or hand bag to see that you have all the equipment needed to care for the case in the proper manner. This saves many cases for those who follow these rules, as they are enabled to have just what is needed, and prevents the slighting of a case for which there may be some excuse if the proper materials are not in the outfit. From a professional standpoint, it should be necessary for the embalmer to carry anything he may need, otherwise carelessness may dictate his procedure and disaster may result. An ordinary case can be attended with the following material[1]:— [1] NOTE—Many embalmers get along, some way, with much less in their outfit than enumerated here. The authors believe that the embalmer should have all the material needed to properly carry out his work, and anything of necessity left from the outfit only reduces the efficiency of the embalmer, and leaves him, at times, without the proper assortment of material. The couch embalming board. The slumber robe, and face cover. A rubber or oil cloth cover for the board. A suit case grip, or hand bag. Concentrated fluid (at least 4 bottles). One or two empty 64-oz. bottles (for mixing fluid). One bottle for blood drainage. One injecting outfit (pump, tubes, etc.) One blood drainage outfit. One instrument wallet, containing:— 2 scalpels, 1 bone separator, 2 aneurism needles, 1 spool linen thread, 1 grooved director, 3 arterial tubes (assorted diameters), 1 bistoury, 1 lock forceps, 1 spring forceps, 1 artery forceps, 1 case needles, 1 6-inch child's trocar, 1 12 or 14-inch trocar, 1 chin rest, 1 hypodermic outfit, 1 roll absorbent cotton, 1 sponge, 1 box face powder, 1 nail file, 1 hair brush, 1 bottle bichloride of mercury tablets, 1 shaving outfit. For special cases it would be well to have on hand the following articles:— 1 small can plaster of paris. 1 tube lip cement. 2 rubber bandages. 1 can hardening compound. 1 bottle Platt's chlorides or any other good deodorant. 1 outfit of formalin and permanganate of potash, or any other standard gaseous germicide preparation for fumigating. 1 small bottle of tincture of iodine as a preventive to infection should you cut yourself.