Gas Gangrene in Abdominal Surgery

Four cases of gas gangrene, each with a fatal outcome, associated with intra‐abdominal primary foci, are recorded. Two of these were associated with gangrene of the small bowel, one was associated with perforation of a duodenal ulcer, and one followed partial gastrectomy. The relationship of the identified toxins produced by Clostridium welchii to gas gangrene and its treatment is considered. High doses of penicillin given intravenously, the administration of polyvalent serum, and now hyperbaric oxygen therapy, together with removal of all necrotic tissues, are the rational therapeutic measures.