A DICTIONARY. 



265 



recommends the horse, immediately after 

 the operation, to be led out to walk for an 

 horn' ; and it is a general plan in France to 

 walk such horses in hand an hour night and 

 morning. Mr. Goodwin, in proof of its 

 not being hurtful, informs us that whole 

 studs of horses, brought to St. Petersburgh 

 to be operated on, are immediately travelled 

 back a certain portion of the distance, night 

 and morning, until they arrive at home. 

 We have, therefore, no hesitation in recom- 

 mending a moderate degree of motion in 

 preference to absolute rest. 



" The French method of castration is advo- 

 cated by Ml". Goodwin ; and it is sufficient 

 that it receives his recommendation to en- 

 title it to attention ; it is rendered the more 

 so, as he observes on the method in general 

 use among us, ' that the operation per- 

 formed by the actual cautery always in- 

 duces, more or less, symptoms that often 

 become alarming; and that it cannot be 

 performed on the adult without incurring 

 more swelling and severer consequences 

 than attend other methods of operation. If 

 I. ever use the actual cautery, it is for the 

 sake of expedition, and then only on a 

 yearling, or a two-year old ; but I am re- 

 solved never to employ it again on an 

 adult.' These observations, as emanating 

 from such a source, must be deemed im- 

 portant. Mr. Goodwin then offers the de- 

 scription of the French method of operating, 

 from Hurtrel d'Arboval. ' Castration, by 

 means of the clams, is the method in gen- 

 eral use, if not the only one now employed ; 

 it is the most ancient, since it was recom- 

 mended by Hieroclius among the Greeks. 

 It is performed in two ways, the testicle 

 being covered or uncovered. In the former, 

 the exterior of the scrotum, formed by the 

 skin and dartos muscle, is cut through, and 

 the testicle is brought out by dissecting 

 away the laminated tissue, the gland being 

 covered by the tunica vaginalis ; the clam 

 is then placed above the epididymis, outside 

 the external peritoneal covering, of the cord. 

 In the uncovered operation, the incision is 

 made through the servus capsule of the tes- 

 ticle ; the tunica vaginalis being divided, 



34 



the testicle presents itself, and the clam is 

 placed well above the epididymis, on the 

 cord. The operation, performed in either 

 way, requires us to provide ourselves with a 

 scalpel, a pair of clams, a pair of long pin- 

 cers, made purposely to bring the ends of 

 the clams together, and some waxed string. 

 The clams may be formed of different kinds 

 of wood ; but the elder is considered the 

 best, and generally made use of. To make 

 a clam, we procure a branch of old and dry 

 elder, whose diameter should be about an 

 inch, and whose length should be from five 

 to six inches : of course, the dimensions 

 must at all times be proportioned to the 

 size of the cord we have to operate on. At 

 the distance of half an inch from each end, 

 a small niche, sufficiently deep to hold the 

 string, must be made, and then the wood 

 should be sawed through the middle length- 

 ways. Each divided surface should be 

 planed, so as to facilitate the opening of 

 the clams, either when about to place them 

 on or take them off. The pith of the wood 

 is then to be taken out, and the hollow 

 should be filled with corrosive sublimate and 

 flour, mixed with sufficient water to form it 

 into a paste. Some persons are not in the 

 habit of using any caustic whatever ; then, 

 of course, scooping out of the inside of the 

 clam is not necessary : notwithstanding, the 

 caustic, inasmuch as it produces a speedier 

 dissolution of the parts, must be useful, and 

 ought not to be neglected.' The addition 

 of the caustic, however, Mr. Goodwin ob- 

 jects to with great reason, remarking, that 

 unless it be a very strong one, and therefore 

 dangerous to employ, it cannot be of any 

 use to parts compressed and deprived of 

 cuculation and life. He further informs us 

 that he has operated in six cases in succes- 

 sion with the same effect, without any es- 

 charotic matter whatever. An experimental 

 case of Mr. Percivall's terminated fatally: 

 by the use of caustic the cord was greatly 

 inflamed, as high as the ring, and which 

 unquestionably produced the unfortunate 

 result. ' The covered operation,' continues 

 Mr. Goodwin, ' is the one that I am about 

 to advocate, and which differs only inso- 



