The lung, when free, is placed upon the board with its hilus downward and base toward the prosector. (See Fig. 42.) It is then held in the left hand, as shown in the illustration, the thumb holding the lower lobe, the index-finger between the lobes with its tip upon the main bronchus, the other fingers holding the upper lobe. With the long section-knife held slightly obliquely toward the anterior edge the main-incision is now made in one sweeping cut from apex to base, along the line of greatest convexity, down upon the main-bronchus and its chief branches and the large vessels. Care should be taken not to cut off the bronchi of the two lobes from the main bronchus. Incisions parallel to the main one may be made, if desired. Usually it suffices to go carefully over the remaining part of the lung, feeling it carefully for airless solid areas; if such are present they may be sectioned separately. The =bronchi= are then opened from the cut surface by means of the probe-pointed scissors, cutting as near to the pleura as possible. The sound or director may be used with advantage in opening up cavities from the bronchi. The position of the lung should be so changed that the bronchi always extend away from the prosector in a straight line. The portion of the lung containing the uncut bronchus should be left hanging over the left hand to put it on the stretch, thereby facilitating greatly the opening of the bronchus. The =pulmonary vessels= are opened with fine probe-pointed scissors from the cut surface. The bronchial lymphglands are then sectioned with the knife. [Illustration: FIG. 43.—Section of right lung. (After Nauwerck.)] The =right lung= is then lifted up out of the thorax onto the right side of the thoracic opening, and is either sectioned in this position, or the mediastinal pleura, pulmonary vessels and bronchus are cut from below upward with the knife, its edge being directed against the ribs. When freed the lung is placed on the board, root downward and apex toward the prosector. (See Fig. 43.) The index-finger is put between the upper and lower lobes, the thumb holds the upper lobe, the other fingers are spread out over the surface of the lower lobe. The main-incision is then made in a sweeping cut, from base to apex, along the line of greatest convexity, the knife-blade being held slightly obliquely toward the anterior border (see Fig. 43), cutting down upon the main bronchus and its first division. Other parallel cuts may be made. The middle lobe is then sectioned by a sagittal incision on its anterior surface, directed toward its anterior border. The =bronchi, pulmonary vessels= and =bronchial lymphnodes= are then opened as in the case of the left lung. Bacteriologic examinations may be made from smears or cultures made from the cut surfaces; or, to avoid contamination, the surface may be seared with a hot iron and the material obtained by means of a sterile pipette pushed through the seared surface into the lung-tissue.