644 CASTRATION, 



cast him for the operation, and administer chloroform if tliought 

 expedient. As most operators have a way of their own, I need 

 not describe, in a book of this kind, how it ought to be done, 

 except indeed that I cast animals of all ages for this operation 

 with the ropes, that I throw them upon the near side, and that 

 I sometimes operate without turning upon the back, and with- 

 out including the fore feet in the ropes. In cases, however, 

 where the testicles are very small and difficult to get at, I find 

 it necessary to turn the animal upon his back. 



The animal, being now prepared for the final act of the opera- 

 tion may be deprived of his testicles in a variety of ways, which I 

 need not describe, as I consider that the most humane way is the 

 best of all ways, and that is the operation by torsion, performed 

 as follows : — The operator is to be provided with two clams, one 

 made of two pieces of smooth rounded iron, jointed, the other of 

 flattened steel, as represented in the drawing. 



The operator having grasped the testicle intended to be first 

 removed — and it is good practice to remove the smaller one 

 first, when the colt is young, or the one farthest away if they are 

 both of a good size — with his left hand, is to secure it in position 

 by passing the smooth clam round the scrotum, so as to press 

 the skin upon the spermatic cord, and thus prevent the with- 

 drawal of the testicle by the cremaster muscle when the incision 

 is being made. When the testicle is firmly included in the 

 clam, the scrotal skin is to be pulled tight over it, and the 

 incision made close to the raphe, and low down towards tlie 

 sheath, in order to allow the escape of all subsequent discharges, 

 and prevent swelling. The incision is to be made with a bold 

 sweep of the scalpel, and is to be at least three inches long, when 

 the testicle will generally pop out. The smooth clam is now to 

 be removed, and the flat clam — serrated upon its edges — a])- 

 plied to the spermatic cord, above the epididymus, and securely 



