212 OPERATI\'E TECHNIQUE. 



to prevent it kicking the operator. The clams are appHed over the 

 uncovered spermatic cord and fastened with a leather ring, which is 

 slipped over their conical end. This obviates the somewhat tiresome 

 necessity for tying. 



In England, castration in the standing position has recently been 

 considerably practised. Griffith describes the operation as follows : — 

 An assistant stands at the animal's left side, with his right shoulder 

 against the animal's left. A second assistant holds and hands the 

 necessary instruments. 



The operator, who also stands on the animal's left side, slips his 

 left hand along the animal's abdomen as far as the scrotum, grasps the 

 right testicle, and draws it down to the bottom of the scrotum, which 

 is immediatel}' opened by an incision with the right hand from before 

 backwards. He then discards the knife. The left hand at once 

 grasps the protruding testicle and draws it backwards, whilst 

 the right hand passes the open clam between the hind limbs and 

 slips it from behind forwards over the spermatic cord. There- 

 upon the left hand seizes the free ends of the clam and presses 

 them together. As soon as it has been ascertained by means 

 of the right hand that onl}' the spermatic cord, and not a portion 

 of the scrotum is included in the clam, the latter is grasped with 

 special forceps and firmly pressed together. The front ends are then 

 secured with string and the testicle cut away. The left testicle 

 is removed in a similar way. Griffith states having thus castrated 

 140 horses, varying in age from one to twelve years, during the course 

 of one summer, without any noteworthy mishap. 



Abroad it is usual to cast the horse for castration on the left 

 side, the feet and hind quarters being somewhat higher than the 

 body, though the dorsal position also has advocates. The right 

 hind limb is released, drawn forward until the hoof is nearly in 

 contact with the animal's chest and the whole limb is somewhat 

 abducted, and is then resecured. It must not, however, be drawn 

 too far forwards (the furthest allowable point is the elbow of the 

 right foreleg) ; on the other hand, should it not be drawn suffi- 

 cientlv far the operator may be injured by the point of the hock. 

 The liberated limb should not be fastened unyieldingly, as otherwise 

 the animal ma}' make violent extension movements, the resistance 

 to which may cause fracture. It is preferable to pass a piece of 

 webbing around the fetlock and hoof, and fix the limb in a position 

 of plantar flexion. 



The dorsal position has the advantage that prolapse of bowel is 



