HERNIA. 401 



healthy and the diseased regions being then easily ascertained. 

 Continued spasmodic movements of the healthy testicles have 

 been observed. 



In the rectal examination of the horse, the hand may be easily 

 carried beyond the anterior border of the pubis, and the condition 

 of the superior ojoening of the inguinal canal, and the state of the 

 organs engaged in it thus ascertained. 



In the normal condition, the anterior pillar of the superior 

 opening of the canal is easy of identification. It is in front and 

 on each side of the pubic region, and by reason of the extensi- 

 bihty of its muscular structure, reqmres no greater force for its 

 separation from the posterior pillar than the introduction of two 

 fingers into the ring. When the intestine is in the vaginal canal, 

 after having passed through the superior openiiig, it can be felt 

 with the hand through the walls of the rectum, its situation being 

 generally on the inner side; and being thus recognized, it can be 

 raised, pulled upon, and sometimes even extracted from the open- 

 ing through which it had passed. But to be able to judge accu- 

 rately the nature of the object which has been felt, requires in 

 the surgeon an amount of experience in the taxis not always pos- 

 sessed, while its absence may at times betray the explorer into 

 serious error. Moreover, the sensations transmitted through the 

 rectum cannot ia every case be truly interpreted, and it sometimes 

 becomes necessary to combine the two modes of examination em- 

 ployed simultaneously — the rectal investigation and the external, 

 manual, testicular exj)loration. 



Thus, when with one hand in the rectum, pressing on the in- 

 ternal ring, and the other pushed well into the depths of the in- 

 guinal region, both are brought in contact, and it is discovered by 

 the actual touch that the inguinal canal is clear, the hypothesis 

 of strangulated hernia is at once negatived. 



On the other hand, if there is hernia, and the imprisoned intes- 

 tine is encountered, the fingers of the two hands cannot jjossibly 

 come in contact, and the next question will be one of indication, 

 if not of prognosis. 



As a rule, the prognosis of recent inguinal hernia is always seri- 

 ous. If develoj^ed without organic predisjDOsition it is necessarily 

 a serious lesion by reason of its tendency to spontaneous stra-ngu- 

 lation, which when unreheved means death by torture, unless the 

 fatal event should be humanely anticipated and prevented by the 



