510 DISEASES or THE URINARY ORGANS. 



interest it possesses, it appears to confirm the utility of Mr. 

 Taylor's jointed sound. 



A favourite black horse (Jack), the property of H. C. Hindle, Esq., 

 Mayfield, Walsall, was in April 1836 brought to Mr. Robinson for his 

 opinion. His symptoms, which had been notiped for four months, were 

 described to be " frequent and painful attempts to void his urine." Mr. 

 Robinson begged the horse might be sent to his infirmary. The bladder 

 was examined per rectum, and " a large solid body found firmly fixed 

 towards its neck." Mr. Hindle was told that lithotomy was necessary ; 

 to the performance of which, " after a few months he gave consent." 



A whalebone probe was first passed, " but from the struggles of the 

 animal it was withdrawn, and the jointed sound introduced. The opening 

 into the urethra was then enlarged, and the external incision carried 

 obliquely down by the anus for about four inches. The fore finger of the 

 left hand was used as a director in opening the pelvic portion of the 

 urethra and neck of the bladder. The forceps being found to be too 

 weak, and inadequate for the extraction of the cah^ulus, a further division 

 of the bladder was made, to admit the hand of Mr. Friend (considerably 

 smaller than my own) : but so firmly did the coats of the bladder adhere 

 to the rough mulberry surface cf the calculus, that it was with very great 

 difficulty the fingers could be insinuated between them ; and then so 

 tenacious was the grasp with which it was held by the contractile power 

 of the bladder, that It required considerable force to remove it." Only a 

 few ounces of blood were lost : no ligatures necessary. The calculus was 

 of the mulberry kind, weighed lib. troy, and measured nine inches by 

 elo^ht in circumference. It has been presented by Mr. Robinson to the 

 Veterinary College Museum. A good deal of sloughing followed, so 

 extensive being the wound ; but all went on well, and on the 18th day 

 afterwards the urine passed, exclusively, through the natural passsage. 

 Unfortunately, however, in the tenth week after the operation, from some 

 sudden and violent exertion, "he produced some disarrangement of 

 parts in or near the neck of the bladder, from which he has never per- 

 fectly recovered. There began from that time, and has still continued to 

 exist, a slight draining of urine occasionally by the urethra. There 

 appears a partial power, however, to restrain this, as frequently there will 

 be no discharge while he is being ridden or driven several miles, though 

 it will commence again as soon as he stands still." Mr. Robinson sus- 

 pects some fresh rupture of the wound in the neck of the bladder, which, 

 thouMi healed again, has left some loss of power in the sphincter ; or there 

 may exist, he thinks, some scirrhous opening through the neck, which it 

 cannot always close. 



Mr. William Fielb's Method or Operating will be 



