Decapsulation of the Kidney

During the past few years a great number of decapsulating operations have been performed on the kidneys for the relief of diseases of these organs. The limited resources of medical treatment have called the attention of surgeons to these organs in a special way and have led to surgical procedures which have very little scientific foundation for the undertaking. It therefore follows that the merits of the operation can be determined only by the study of a large number of cases and not by any process of abstract reasoning. It would not be fair to say that the work has been altogether empirical. The pathologic considerations which have led to decapsulation and incision of the capsule and of the kidney itself have rested on the assumption that freeing the capsule or incising the kidney has a modifying influence on the circulation of the organ and thus brings about an improved