The commonly-reckoned 'little things' of surgery are, it must be admitted, not popular with surgeons generally at the present time, when the great achievements of operative work are apt to overshadow so completely the treatment of minor ailments, that they are frequently relegated to the category of cases too uninteresting to call for much attention at the hands of those who are mostly concerned in dealing with matters which are apparently more important. Unless, therefore, I had been asked to do so, I should not have presumed to contribute to the 'British Medical Journal' an article upon such a trivial subject as sprains.1 It is, nevertheless, probable that the neglect or indifferent treatment of some of these minor matters results in more disability among the community generally, especially the wage-earning classes, than would arise from a considerable percentage of the cases which are considered to require operation if they were left alone; and, further, it is undeniable that, if the minor things were always adequately treated at their commencement or when they threatened, operations would be less frequently necessary.

1 December 8, 1906.