Although intestinal obstruction from intra-abdominal adhesions is a relatively common surgical emergency, the vast majority of adhesions are harmless and may be protective or even life-saving. The causes of intestinal adhesions are presented, and various methods advocated to prevent adhesions are discussed. The surgeon is advised to reduce unnecessary adhesion formation by meticulous surgical technique, control those adhesions which inevitably form to obtain their beneficial effects, and to avoid the risk of subsequent obstruction.