TREATMENT 79 



full depth of the blade. The variation in length 

 of the incision is necessitated by the difference 

 in the size of the patient, in the thickness of 

 the skin and underlying pad, and also by the 

 size of the tumefaction. In a small horse, for 

 example, having only a small rounded sac 

 bulging at one side, an incision six inches long 

 will be found ample, while in a large "meaty- 

 necked" draft horse having an enormous swell- 

 ing it must be at least twelve inches long. 

 Otherwise the walls of the wound cannot be 

 parted enough to give a good access to the bot- 

 tom of the cavity for inspection and for resec- 

 tion of diseased parts of the ligament. We 

 aim in the first stroke of the knife to incise 

 the skin and underlying pad from end to end, 

 that is, from the point decided upon anteriorly 

 to the crest of the withers. For descriptive 

 purposes this may be designated the first step 

 of the operation. 



In the second step each of the edges of this 

 large wound is grasped deeply with the tumor 

 forceps. An assistant should hold one of the 

 forceps and the operator the other By draw- 

 ing the wound apart with some force the bleed- 

 ing now spurting from many small vessels is 

 immediately controlled and after Avidening it 

 out, a good view^ of the bottom is obtained for 

 the next incision. The scalpel is now plunged 



