INJURIES OF THE URETHRA. 635 



injured little harm results especially in castrated animals. On the other 

 hand, however, there is no reason against providing, as far as 

 possible, a safe passage for the trocar. If it is desired that the 

 animal shall live for a considerable time after operation, this method 

 certainly deserves preference, as, in the event of a repetition of 

 the operation becoming necessary, it will be much easier. 



The cannula may remain in position for one to two days ; in 

 oxen intended for slaughter this is to be recommended, and an 

 additional advantage is that the tube may here be more easily 

 fixed in position than in the rectal operation. 



In quiet animals the above operations may be performed standing, 

 by extending the hind feet and applying a twitch. Rychner 

 recommends the dorsal position, because it allows the bladder to 

 be still more easily discovered from the rectum. It has already been 

 remarked that where the bladder is much distended, casting must be 

 effected cautiously. 



IV.— INJURIES, INFLAMMATION AND STRICTURES OF THE 

 URETHRA. 



Save by operation, the urethra is seldom wounded. Adam 

 describes a case of injury in the horse by an iron hook. Healing 

 was difficult. Fauchs saw a severe case in a horse that had fallen 

 in front of a tramway car. The urethra was almost completely 

 torn out of the penis by a hook : a small portion remained hanging 

 to the glans ; the rest was only connected with the bladder. About 

 16 inches was cut away and the wound disinfected. Some hours 

 later bleeding occurred from the corpus cavernosum, but was checked 

 by ligature, and though severe swelling occurred it disappeared in 

 eight days. Recovery was sufficiently advanced in four weeks for 

 the horse to return to work. The urethra opened somewhat below the 

 perineum. 



Inflammation of the urethra may be caused by foreign bodies 

 entering it accidentally, or being introduced by way of treatment. 



Should foreign bodies like awns of wheat obtain access, the minute 

 spines they possess cause them to produce injuries of the mucous 

 membrane and inflammation. Specific conditions like gonorrhoea 

 of man have seldom been recognised in animals, if we except dogs 

 and bulls, which occasionally suffer from chronic urethral catarrh. 

 Many cases are really only purulent preputial catarrh (see 

 " Inflammation of the Prepuce in Carnivora "). 



Stricture of the urethra is commonest after operations like 



