Thomas Bryant (1828-1914), an eminent surgeon at Guy’s Hospital, London, disparaged the commonly notion that the more ill the patient the greater the chances for successful ovariotomy. He preferred a half sitting posture for the operation and was not concerned with spillage of small amounts of blood or cyst contents into the abdomen. Accordingly, he contended that sponging the intestines and peritoneal cavity were worthless if not actually injurious.