CASTRATION BY CLAMS. 



197 



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The dorsal position has the advantage that prolapse of bowel 

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

 position is equally useful, provided a careful examination be made 

 before operation. 



Before casting, nervous thoroughbred horses should be given 

 an anodyne, and after casting they should be anaesthetised to prevent 

 accidents like broken back, myositis, muscle rupture, etc., which 

 are sometimes caused by violent struggling during operation, as 

 when the spermatic cords are compressed. Since adopting these 

 precautions Moller and other operators have had no cases of spinal 

 fracture. 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 operation with 

 clams receives first notice 

 it has been largely re- 

 placed by other methods, 

 and particularly by torsion 

 of the spermatic cord, which 

 has found increasing accept- 

 ance and on the whole seems 

 preferable. 



(a) Castration by the 

 uncovered method. The con- 

 dition of the spermatic cord 

 and outer abdominal ring 

 having first been ascertained 

 by palpation, an assistant 

 cleanses the scrotum, penis 

 and surrounding parts with 



soap and water, rinses them with sublimate solution, and afterwards 

 carefully mops up all superfluous moisture with a clean cloth or 

 tampons 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 way into the wound during 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 



Fig. 240. 



