The position in which the patient is lying is of as much importance to the anæsthetist as to the surgeon. It is for the surgeon to say what he wants and for the anæsthetist to realise how his own work will be thereby affected. Dorsal Decubities. This is the ordinary position and calls for no extended comment. The pillows must be so arranged that at no spot is the body acutely flexed or extended. Abdomen, thorax, neck, and head must all be roughly in a straight line. Deep-chested subjects require a higher pillow than those with shallow chests, otherwise the neck is bent back and respiration obstructed. The arms should either be folded and retained by a bandage or other device over the chest, or extended so that the hands can be slipped under the buttocks and retained there by the body weight. An arm which is allowed to hang over the side of the table is likely to show next day and for many months afterwards, the condition of drop-wrist from musculo-spiral paralysis. Face-down Position. This is an awkward position for the anæsthetist; there being a general tendency to respiratory embarrassment. Put a pillow under the upper part of the thorax, leaving the lower part and the abdomen as free as possible. Let the head project from the pillow, so that the face can be got at without undue rotation of the neck. The intratracheal method is a great help. Lateral Position. This may be called for either with or without the addition of a sand-bag or inflatable air-pillow to push the loin upwards. In either case, there is a tendency for the upper shoulder to fall forwards, the position then assimilating itself to the face-down position. This is best met by a support fixed to the table, upon which the upper arm may be rested. Failing such a convenience, a sand-bag may be pushed in to keep up the shoulder, or the assistance of a nurse may be required. The Trendelenburg Position. Slight tilting of the head end of the table downwards is often useful in assisting the return of bowel into the abdomen: in this position, the patient usually takes the anæsthetic very well. It must not be assumed until the third stage of anæsthesia is reached. For many gynæcological operations, however, the full Trendelenburg position is required. Healthy subjects usually do quite well in it, but stout persons not uncommonly show a good deal of cyanosis. At the close of the operation it is essential to restore the table to the horizontal _slowly_: the physics of the circulation are profoundly modified, and if any serious degree of shock is present, rapid return to normal may initiate a collapse. In the full position, the weight of the body should be taken by metal supports attached to the table against which the shoulders may rest. To hang the entire weight of the body upon the legs may cause a good deal of after-suffering to the patient.