CASTRATION BY CAUSTIC LIGATURE. 229 



cord feels hard and distended. In such case operation must be re- 

 peated, but is then usually rendered much more difficult by adhesions 

 having occurred between the layers of the scrotum. These adhesions 

 become firmer and more intimate as time passes ; in the course of even 

 a few days a repetition of the process proves impossible, and castration 

 must be performed in some other way. 



In South Germany, and especially in Bavaria, bulls are very often 

 castrated with the " caustic ligature," that is, a strong cord saturated 

 with a mixture of equal parts of sublimate and gum arabic dissolved in 

 twice their volume of water. Many experienced operators warmly 

 recommend this method, though some have noticed after-symptoms of 

 mercurial poisoning, especiall}' in young animals. An extensive erup- 

 tion, which may persist for a month or six weeks, occurs over the 

 whole body, and is accompanied by local depilation. This has been 

 attributed to excess of sublimate in the ligature, and some operators 

 therefore recommend saturating the cord with a solution of three parts 

 of sublimate in thirty parts of collodion. The caustic ligature has the 

 advantage of more rapidly dividing the spermatic cord, and therefore 

 of separating sooner, whilst the sublimate exercises a disinfecting action 

 both on the cord itself and on the wound. Some practitioners, how- 

 ever, have noted severe swelling after this operation. Eckmayer 

 ligatures the exposed spermatic cord with carbolised silk, and removes 

 the testicle half an inch below the ligature. He operated thus on more 

 than 100 calves without any bad result. Gunther recommends the 

 use of the elastic ligature for bulls. 



Another method of castration has been recommended. After 

 opening the scrotum the spermatic cord is perforated between 

 the vascular and non-vascular portions with a knife, and the 

 index finger of the left hand is inserted in the slit so produced. The 

 testicle being removed with the knife, the stump of the cord is passed 

 through the slit, and tied in a knot. Should bleeding not immediately 

 stop a second or third knot may be tied. Some operators first divide 

 all the non-vascular portions of the cord with the knife, then, after 

 grasping the blood-vessels firmly with the finger and thumb or with 

 forceps, divide these low down near the testicle. One or more knot«i 

 are then tied as high as possible on the vascular cord and drawn tight. 

 As soon as the operator is satisfied that bleeding is no longer to be 

 feared the free end of the vascular cord is snipped away three quarters 

 of an inch below the knot or knots ; the latter are returned into the 

 sac of the tunica vaginalis and thrust as high up as the fingers 

 can reach. The method is particularly recommended for old 



