620 HERNIA, ETC. 



for two-tliircls of its length ; at the third puncture a slight noise 

 was heard, and little air-bubbles appeared around the opening. 

 Barry's right hand in the rectum, in concert with the left, which 

 moved the flexure about two or three times, then promptly 

 reduced the hernia. 



Castration was afterwards performed by ligature, which Barry 

 prefers to the clams ; these irritating the wound by the great 

 pressure they exercise on the tissues already inflamed. In the 

 covered, as well as in the uncovered operation, the author has 

 always been successful with the ligature. The horse was in a 

 short time afterwards at work. 



" Barry asserts, in commenting on this procedure, that the 

 abdominal organs are not always so extremely sensitive to 

 contact with the air as is generally believed ; and he incidentally 

 alludes, in support of this statement, to the case of a foal which 

 he castrated, and which the following morning had the omentum 

 hanging as low as its hocks — hernia of the peritoneum. This 

 extruded membrane was red and very inflamed, and Barry was 

 rather puzzled what to do ; however, he had the foal thrown ; 

 with the right hand in the rectum he seized the omentum, while 

 with the left he pulled it out until the white non-irritated 

 peritoneum appeared; then with his two hands pulling in 

 opposite directions to stretch it, he caused the owner to amputate 

 the inflamed parts with a convex bistoury ; this done, internal 

 traction completed the business. 



" The animal recovered without manifesting the slightest 

 derangement." — (Fleming in Veterinarian, March 1875.) 



SCROTAL HERNIA IN PIGS. 



Scrotal hernia is very common in young pigs, and such should 

 be castrated by the covered operation. The general practice 

 amongst pig-gelders is to castrate in the ordinary way, and stitch 

 up the divided scrotum ; sometimes they include the intestine 

 in the suture, and cause the death of the animal. I have cut 

 pigs with hernia by merely enclosing the scrotum in a loop of 

 twine, first returning the intestine, and allowing the parts to be 

 removed by sloughing, and they have done well. Pigs are, 

 during some seasons, peculiarly liable to suffer from tetanus 

 after castration. 



