INTRODUCTION 11 



this affliction from every angle is therefore a 

 worthy enterprise. It is at least a problem of 

 the rural districts of the Middle West that is 

 neither well handled, nor, so far as we can per- 

 ceive, intelligently studied. 



The loss in horses in Illinois from fistulse 

 alone reaches into the thousands. The loss to 

 veterinarians from their helplessness in han- 

 dling the cases and the discredit this state of 

 helplessness brings to the veterinary profession 

 are matters to be thoughtfully considered. 



The fact that the treatment of poll-evil is no 

 longer an unsolved problem in veterinary sur- 

 gery, and that this treatment, now standard 

 for more than ten years, has proved as nearly 

 universally successful as any surgical depart- 

 ure can prove, and the further fact that this ail- 

 ment differs from fistula of the withers only in 

 matters governed by the location, should, it 

 seems to us, have spurred veterinarians to re- 

 sort to similar measures for handling both. The 

 fact that the latter is located in a more com- 

 plex region and requires an operation of great- 

 er magnitude is, we believe, the only reason 

 why no advance has been made in its treat- 

 ment. 



Better surgery from every angle by which 

 good surgery is judged (anesthesia, restraint, 

 asepsis, hemostasis and wound treatment) 



