DANGERS OF CASTRATION. 203 



which reason the scrotum and outer abdominal ring must always be 

 carefully examined prior to operation. 



The commonest methods of dividing the spermatic cord are: 



1. Tearing Away of the Testicles.— This method is still 

 extensively used in the case of calves, lambs, and swine ; after opening 

 the scrotum the testicle is grasped and forcibly torn away. In 

 countries like Russia and Australia, where very large numbers of lambs 

 have to be castrated, the system is still followed ; lay castrators in 

 South Germany also continue its use. Should the central portion of 

 the cord not be firmly held, however, the fold of peritoneum which 

 surrounds the spermatic \'essels within the abdomen is torn across or 

 the divided end of the cord is withdrawn into the abdomen, where it 

 becomes adherent to the peritoneum near the inner abdominal ring ; 

 in either case the bowel may be incarcerated, with fatal results ("gut- 

 tie"). 



2. Scraping the Cord is most commonly practised in young 

 animals, and in swine and sheep. After opening the tunica vaginalis, 

 the cord is laid across the left index finger and scraped with a blunt 

 knife until divided. The blood-vessels are thus torn, and bleeding is 

 usually trifling. Dawson and Hurford have successfulh' emplo}ed this 

 method with horses ; the posterior portion of the cord was simpl}- cut 

 through and only the vessels were scraped. 



3. Crushing by Means of the Ecraseur. — During recent years 

 many English and American practitioners have adopted the ecraseur 

 for castrating stallions, the chain or loop of the ecraseur being passed 

 round the spermatic cord, which is slowly crushed. The ecraseur has 

 also found increased favour in Germany, Belgium, and other countries. 



In England an instrument known as the emasculator is now largely 

 used. Its construction, however, is more complicated than that of the 

 ecraseur, and it is therefore more difficult to keep clean. 



4. Torsion of the Spermatic Cord. — In performing this opera- 

 tion the posterior half of the cord is divided with a knife, and the anterior, 

 containing the blood-vessels, is twisted round its long axis until it rup- 

 tures. In horses and bulls, after opening the scrotum and applying a clam 

 or pair of forceps just above the epidid3anis, in order to fix the vascular 

 part, the cord, together with the testicle, is remo\'ed b}' rotating the 

 testicle and cord either with a second pair of forceps or with the 

 hands. In sheep, swine, and carnivora, the spermatic cord is fixed 

 between the thumb and the fore-finger of the left hand, while the 

 testicle is rotated with the right hand; the simplest method, after 

 dividing the cremaster muscle; with scissors, being to thrust the index 

 finger of the right hand through the centre of the cord immediately 



