CASTRATION. 573 



the cord is performed by first laying the parts bare^ and 

 then taking firm hold of the upper part of the cord with 

 the left handj while the right is engaged in twisting off the 

 testicle, by repeatedly turning it round between the finger 

 and thumb. And this operation, coarse and unscientific as 

 it is, does not appear to be a v^ery painful one, nor, in young 

 animals, to be succeeded, when the rupture takes place, by 

 any alarming hemorrhage. 



CosTELLo's — or rather Amussat^s — improvement upon 

 this consists, in twisting the blood-vessels, the arteries, only. 

 From reflecting upon the fact that contused and lacerated 

 blood-vessels seldom emit blood, M. Amussat instituted some 

 experiments, the object of which was to imitate these effects 

 artificially; in the course of which, happening on one occa- 

 sion to twist an artery, he was struck with the fact of its 

 emitting no blood ; thus accident led to a discovery which 

 deductions from facts such as the foregoing might have 

 anticipated. " In practising torsion, Amussat seizes the 

 divided vessel with a pair of forceps, in such a manner as to 

 hold and close the vessel within their teeth. The artery is 

 then drawn from out of the tissues surrounding it, to the 

 extent of a few lines, and freed with another forceps from 

 its cellular envelope, so as to lay bare its external coat. 

 The index-finger and thumb of the left hand are then ap- 

 plied above the forceps, in order to press back the blood 

 contained in the vessel. He then begins to twist the artery. 

 One of the methods consists in continuing the torsion until 

 the part held in the forceps is detached. When, however, 

 the operator does not intend to produce this effect, he ceases 

 after from four to six revolutions of the vessel on its axis 

 for the small arteries, and from eight to twelve for the 

 large ones. The hemorrhage instantly stops.^' — " It is of 

 the utmost importance to seize the artery perfectly, and to 

 make the stated number of twists ; otherwise, the security 

 against the danger of consecutive hemorrhage will not be so 

 perfect." M. Amussat is so satisfied with torsion, that he 

 now employs no other haemostatic agent. He has found it 

 successful in castration, amputations of the thigh and arm, 



