CASTRATION OF STALLIONS BY CLAMS. 



213 



less likely to occur, but it necessitates more assistants ; the side 

 position is equally useful, provided a careful examination be made 

 before operation. 



Nervous thoroughbred animals should be anaesthetised to prevent 

 accidents like broken back, which are sometimes caused by the violent 

 struggling occasioned when the clams are compressed. Since adopting 

 this precaution Moller has had no cases of broken back. Roder claims 

 to have rendered even the application of clams painless by injecting 

 cocaine into the scrotal subcutis. 



(a) Castration of the Stallion by the Application of Clams. 

 — Although this method receives first notice it has of late 3^ears been 

 largely replaced by torsion of the spermatic cord, an operation which 

 has found increasing acceptance and on the whole seems preferable. 



(a) Castvaiion icith exposure of the testicle. The normal condition 

 of the spermatic cord and outer abdominal ring having first been 

 ascertained by palpation, 

 an assistant cleanses the 

 scrotum and surrounding 

 parts with soap and water, 

 rinses them with subli- 

 mate solution, and after- 

 wards carefully mops up 

 all superfluous . moisture 

 with a clean cloth or 

 tampon of cotton wool, 

 giving particular attention 

 to the fold of skin between 

 the inside of the thigh and 

 the scrotum, so that no 

 fluid may be left to find its 

 wav into the wound during: 



Fig. 242. 



operation. Kneeling behind the horse the operator first grasps the 

 left testicle by passing the left hand from before backwards around 

 the left spermatic cord. In carrying this out, the open right hand 

 is thrust between the scrotum and the surface of the left thigh, 

 whilst the left hand endeavours to grasp the spermatic cord from in 

 front, and to thrust the testicle towards the base of the scrotum. The 

 correct position of the testicle is known by the fact that the scrotal 

 raphe lies parallel to the testicle, on its inner side. In the case of 

 young animals it facilitates the task of securing the testicles if a ligature 

 be passed around the scrotum before the animal is cast. The skin 



