DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 171 



SicelUng of the sheath, penis, and abdonun. — This occurs in cer- 

 tain unhoaltliy states of tlie system, in iinliealthfiil seasons, as the re- 

 sult of operating without cleansing the sheath and penis, or of 

 keeping tlie suhject in a filthy, inipuie building, as the result of 

 infecting the wounil by hands or instruments bearing sejitic bacteiMa, 

 or as the result of premature closure of the wound, and im|)rison- 

 ment of matter. 



Pure air and ck'aiiline.ss oi gioiii and wound are to be oi)taine(l. 

 Antiseptics, like the mercuric-chlorid lotion (1 part to 2,000) are to 

 be applied to the parts: the wound, if closed, is to be opened anew, 

 any accumulateil matter or blood washed out, and the antiseptic 

 licpiid freely applied. The most tense or dependent parts of the 

 swelling in sheath or iHMiis, or beneath the belly, should be pricked at 

 intervals of '.\ or 4 inc-hes to a depth of half an inch, and antiseptics 

 freely applied to the surface. Fomentations with waim water may 

 also be used to favor oozing from the incisions and to encourage 

 the formation of white matter in the original wounds, which must not 

 be allowed to close again at once. A free, creamlike discharge im- 

 plies a healthy action in the sore, and is the precursor of recovery. 



Phyniosis and paraphyniasls. — In cases of swelling, as above, the 

 penis may be imprisoned within the sheath (phymosis) or protruded 

 and swollen so that it can not be retracted into it (i)ai:»i)hymosis). 

 In these cases the treatment indicated above, and especially the scarifi- 

 cations, will prove a useful preliminary resort. The use of astringent 

 lotions is always desirable, and in case of the protruded penis the 

 application of an elastic or simple linen bandage, so as to press the 

 blood and accumulated fluid out, will enable the operator to return it. 



Tumors on the spermatic cord. — These are due to rough handling 

 or dragging upon the cord in castration, to strangulation of unduly 

 long cords in the external wound, to adhesion of the end of the cord 

 to the skin, to inflammation of the cord succeeding exposure to cold 

 or wet, or to the presence of infection {iStnphylococcu^ hotrioniyccs). 

 These tumors give rise to a stiff, straddling gait, and may l)e felt as 

 hanl masses in the groin connected above with the coi-d. They may 

 continue to grow slowly for many years until they reach a weiglit of 

 15 or 20 pounds, and contract adhesions to all surrounding parts. I f 

 disconnected from the skin and inguinal cainil they may be removed 

 in the siime manner as the testicle, while if larger anil firndy adherent 

 to the skin and surrounding parts generally, they nui.st be carefully 

 dissected from the parts, the arteries Ix'ing tied as they are reached 

 and the cord finally torn through with an ecraseur. When the cord 

 has become swollen and indurated up into the abdomen such removal 

 is impossible, though a jiaitial destruction of the mass may .still be 

 attempted by passing white hot, j)ointed irons upward toward the 

 inguinal ring in the center of the thickened and indurated cord. 



