148 OPERAi IONS. 



of the inflammation wh ch it excites, and (lie pain it inflicts, it shouli onlj be had 

 recourse to when milder means rarely succeed. 



The part which is to be submitted to I he operation should be shaved, or the hail 

 cut from it as closely as possible with the trimming scissors. This is necessary iu 

 order to bring the iron into immediate contact with the skin, and likewise to prevent 

 the smoke that will arise from the burned hair obscuring the view of the operator 

 The horse must then be thrown. This is absolutely necessary for the safety both of 

 the operator and the animal. The side lino may be applied in a shorter time, and so 

 many hands may not be wanted to cast the Imrse ; but no person can fire accurately, 

 or with the certainty of not penetrating tlio skin, except the animal is effectually 

 secured by the hobbles. Although accidents liave occurred in one act of casting, yet 

 many more have resulted to the operator, the assistants, or the horse, in a protracted 

 operation, when the side-line only has been used- 



The details of the operation belong to the veterinary surgeon. The grand points U 

 be attended to are to have the edge of the iron round and smooth the iron itself at, 

 or rather below a red heat to pass it more 01 less rapidly over the skin, and with 

 slighter or greater pressure, according to the degree of heat to burn into the skin 

 until the line produced by the iron is of a brown colour, rather light than dark, and, 

 oy all means, in common cases, to avoid peneh uting the skin. Leaving out of the 

 juestion the additional cruelty of deep firing, when not absolutely required, we may 

 depend on it that if the skin is burned through, inflammation, and ulceration, and 

 sloughing will ensue, that will be with much difficulty combated that will unavoida- 

 bly leave unnecessary blemish, and that has destroyed many valuable horses. It may 

 happen, nevertheless, that by a sudden plunge* of the animal the skin will be una- 

 voidably cut through. The act of firing requires much skill and tact, and the practi- 

 tioner cannot be always on his guard against the struggles of the tortured beast. 

 It will, also, and not unfrequently, occur that the skin, partially divided, will separate 

 in two or three days after the operation. This must not be attributed to any 

 neglect or unskilfulness of the surgeon, and the ulceration thus produced will be 

 slight and easily treated, compared with that caused by actually burning through the 

 skin. 



A very considerable change has taken place in the breed of many of the varieties 

 of the horse, and the labour exacted from him. As illustrations of this we refer to 

 the altered character and pace of the modern hunter and the additional increase of 

 speed required from the coach and the post horse ; the exertion being limited only by 

 the degree to which every muscle and every nerve can be extended, while the calcu- 

 lation between the utmost exaction of cruelty and the expenditure of vital power, is 

 reduced to the merest fraction. The consequence of this is, that the horse is subjected 

 to severer injuries than he used to be, and severer measures are and must be employed 

 to remedy the evil. Hence the horrible applications of the actual cautery to the horse 

 that have disgraced the present day. Lesions gashes have been made on either side 

 of the tendon of the leg, which it took no fewer than seven months to heal. Was 

 there nothing short of this lengthened torture that could have been done to relieve the 

 victim ? Could he not have been more lightly fired for the road or for the purposes 

 of breeding ? Was there no pasture on which he had earned a right to graze 1 or 

 could he not have been destroyed 1 These sad lesions will occasionally come before 

 the practitioner and the owner. It will be for the first, to advocate that, which, on a 

 careful view of the case, mercy prompts ; and the latter, except there is a reasonable 

 prospect of ultimate enjoyment, as well as usefulness, should never urge a continua- 

 :ion of suffering. 



Supposing, however, that prospect to exist, the surgeon must discharge his duty. 

 These gashes, after a while, begin to close, and then commences the beautiful process 

 ^f granulation. Little portions of the integument form on the centre of the wound, 

 and the sides of the wound creep closer together, and the skin steals over the surface, 

 cntil the chasm is perfectly closed. In order to insure the continuance of this, a ridge 

 of contracted integument as hard as any cartilage, but without its elasticity, runs from 

 one end of the lesion t ) the other, tighter, and harder, and more effectual every week 

 and month, and year, and lasting during the life of the animal. Therefore, the vete- 

 rinary surgeon is no*, to be too severely censured, if, after due consideration, he it 

 nduced to undertake one rf these fearful operations : but let him do it as seldom at 

 e can, and only whin v<>rv Circumstance promises a favourable result 



