CAUDAL MYOTOMY. 303 



man veterinarians, but which is claimed by Hering to be uncertain 

 as to its results. In this operation both a straight and a curved 

 myotome are used. With the straight knife a small incision is 

 made, parallel to the axis of the tail and close to the haii', and the 

 curved myotome is then introduced between the skin and the 

 muscle. A turn of the instrument brings its edge against the 

 muscle, and by the usual sawing motion, the organ is divided from 

 within outwai'd, the blunt end of the myotome sHding upon the 

 vertebrae. 



Neither of these subcutaneous methods include the removal 

 of any portion of muscle. 



When the operation is finished, the animal may be relieved and 

 the tail released without any apprehension of serious hemorrhage, 

 although by reason of the unavoidable division of the lateral caudal 

 arteries, a certain amount will necessarily take place. But this is 

 not of a serious nature, and, as a rule, needs no special attention ; 

 we have seen the blood which had flowed quite freely while the 

 tail was hanging pendant, cease almost immediately when the 

 animal was returned to his stall, and the tail placed in the position 

 to be described on another page. But in case of an unusually 

 abundant hemorrhage, a simple compressible bandage may be 

 applied, to be left on until the bleeding is controlled. 



The treatment appropriate for wounds resulting from incision 

 and removal of portions of muscular substance, is that which is 

 common to all suiDpurating wounds, cleanliness being the most 

 important item. AVhile such attentions are naturally re quired for 

 animals subjected to any of the various methods of operation, the 

 subcutaneous mode can claim an imj^ortant advantage in the fact 

 that the heahng process is almost always by first intention, and 

 the tail demands no subsequent nursing. 



Whatever may have been the method of operation which the 

 animal has undergone, it will be subsequently necessary to place 

 the tail in some given elevated position, and retain it in position 

 for a term ranging from two to possibly four weeks, or until the 

 wounds are cicatrized. Various devices are in use for keeping the 

 tail in an elevated position, the simplest and probably the best of 

 which is that of the pulleys. The proof is simple ; either a single 

 pulley is placed in the middle of the ceiling, or two are used, one 

 on each side of the stall, and in either case about on a level with 

 the loins of the animal. The tail is kept in the perpendicular 



