AMPUTATION OF THE PENIS. 635 



AMPUTATION OF THE PENIS. 



Instances occur when it becomes necessary to remove the 

 penis by amputation. *' A state of disease" (says Mr. Percivall), 

 " either of the penis or of its preputial covering, such as has 

 resisted, or seems likely to resist, all treatment ; or, indeed, such 

 as would probably occupy any unreasonable length of time to 

 cure, might, perhaps, warrant a recourse to amputation." 



I have performed this operation upon four horses, and in two 

 of them with permanent success ; in one with temporary success, 

 whilst one case terminated fatally in a few hours after the opera- 

 tion, the animal being very aged and feeble. Three of the animals 

 were geldings, and one a stallion. Two of them had cancer of the 

 penis ; the others were suffering from paralysis and ulceration of 

 that organ. The operation was performed as follows : — The animal 

 having been cast and chloroform administered, a catheter was in- 

 troduced into the urethra, and retained there by the passage of a 

 ligature round the penis, an inch or two above the seat of the 

 intended incision. The ends of the ligature were left long — the 

 ligature itself being of strong twine — so that the penis could be 

 fully controlled during the operation. When a large portion of 

 the penis had to be removed, the ligature was passed through 

 the healthy portion of the penis with a strong packing-needle, in 

 order to prevent withdrawal into the sheath before the arterial 

 branches were secured. Everything being now fully at com- 

 mand, the diseased structures were removed by a bold circular 

 incision, the arteries searched for, and secured by ligature. But 

 little haemorrhage occurred in any of the cases operated upon 

 until some hours had elapsed ; but at this time some discharge 

 of blood took place, and continued occasionally for a few days, 

 and arose from the corpus cavernosum becoming filled with blood, 

 in consequence of slight erections of the penis, resulting from 

 the irritation of the parts, more especially during the act of 

 urination. In one case — that of the stallion — these erections 

 were frequent, and the haemorrhage — which was of a dark 

 venous character — alarming, but it could always be controlled by 

 the appUcation of cold water. In order to prevent this venous 

 haemorrhage, I — in one case — allowed the ligature and catheter 

 to remain in situ for some time, fastening the catheter to the 

 belly by means of a cord tied round it, and carried over the 



