Dunning, Ill., Sept. 22, 1898.
To the Editor:
—In one of my recent articles published in the Journal I used the word gonangiectomy, meaning by it an excision of a portion of the vas deferens. As it seems to be a new word, and since I have had a number of inquiries as to its root words or derivatives, I take this means of answering, and give first, the Greek, then the English equivalent, with diacritic markings for pronunciation; then the word as compounded, with its definition, "Lidell & Scott's Unabridged Greek-English Dictionary." The translation may not be absolutely literal:γονή, gona: semen.άγγε[unk]ον, aggeion: a vessel.έκτομή, ectoma: excision, or cutting away.As compounded, gonangiectomy: excision of a vessel carrying semen.Very respectfully,