262 



A DICTIONARY. 



heavy draught work is desirable. For car- 

 riage horses it would be less so, and the 

 period of two years is not a bad one for 

 their casti-ation. The better sort of saddle- 

 horses should be well examined every three 

 or four months ; particularly at the ages of 

 twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four months ; 

 at either of which times, according to cir- 

 cumstances or to fancy, provided the fore- 

 hand be sufficiently developed, it may be 

 proceeded with. Waiting longer may 

 make the horse heavy ; but, if his neck ap- 

 pear too long and thin, and his shoulders 

 spare, he will assuredly be improved by be- 

 ing allowed to remain entire for six or eight 

 months later. Many of the Yorkshu-e 

 breeders never cut till two years, and think 

 theh' horses stronger and handsomer for it : 

 some wait even longer, but the fear in this 

 case is, that the stallion form wiU be too 

 predominant, and a heavy crest and weighty 

 fore-hand be the consequence ; perhaps also 

 the temper may suffer. Young colts requne 

 little preparation, provided they are healthy 

 and not too full from high living ; if so, 

 they must be kept somewhat short for a few 

 days ; and in all, the choice of a mild season 

 and moderate temperature is proper. When 

 a full grown horse is operated on, some fur- 

 ther preparation is necessary. He should 

 not be in a state of debility, and certainly 

 not in one of plethora : in the latter case, 

 lower his diet, and it would be prudent to 

 give him a purgative. It is also advisable 

 that it be done when no influenza or stran- 

 gles rage, as we have found the effects of 

 castration render a horse very obnoxious to 

 any prevalent disease. The advanced spring 

 season, previous however to the flies becom- 

 ing troublesome, is the proper time for the 

 performance of the operation upon all valu- 

 able horses ; and be careful that it be not 

 done until after the winter coat has been 

 shed, which will have a favorable effect on 

 the future coating of the horse, independent 

 of the circumstance, that at a period of 

 change the constitution is not favorable to 

 any unusual excitement. 



" Castration is performed in various ways, 

 but in all it expresses the removal of the 



testicles; there are methods of rendering 

 the animal impotent without the actual de- 

 struction of these organs ; for if by any 

 other method the secretion of the spermatic 

 glands is prevented, our end is answered. 



" Castration by cauterization is the method 

 which has been principally practised among 

 us. But this by no means proves it the best; 

 on the contrary, many of our most expert 

 veterinarians do not castrate by this method. 

 Ml-. Goodwin, and many other practitioners 

 of eminence, never castrate by cautery. 



" A preliminary observation should be 

 made previously to casting, to see that the 

 horse is not suffering from a rupture : such 

 cases have happened ; and as in our method 

 we open a direct communication with the 

 abdomen, when the horse rises it is not im- 

 probable that his bowels protrude until they 

 trail on the ground. Hernia as a conse- 

 quence of castration may easily occur by 

 the uncovered operation ; for, as already 

 observed, it makes the scrotal sac and ab- 

 dominal cavity one continuous opening. 

 It is not to be wondered at, therefore, if the 

 violent struggles of the animal should force 

 a quantity of intestine through the rings 

 into the scrotal bag. Should we be called 

 on to operate on a horse which already had 

 hernia, it is evident we ought not to proceed 

 with it, unless the owner be apprised of the 

 risk, and willing to abide by it. In such 

 case we would recommend that the method 

 of Girard be practised, i. e. to inclose the 

 tunica vaginalis within the clams (suffi- 

 ciently tight to retain them, but not to pro- 

 duce death in the part) pushed high up 

 against the abdominal ring, and then to re- 

 move the testicle, being very careful to 

 avoid injuring any portion of intestine in 

 the operation. When a discovery is made 

 of the existence of hernia after an opening 

 has been already made for the common pur- 

 pose of castration, should the operator con- 

 tinue his process, and castrate ? We should 

 say, by no means ; but, on the contrary, we 

 would greatly prefer the method recom- 

 mended by ]\'Ir. PervicaU, — firmly to unite 

 the lips of the external wound by suture, 

 allowing the testicle itself to assist in block- 



