NEUROTOMY. 217 



cessary ; and at the same time to be careful to make the wound no 

 larger than is absolutely required for the excision of sufficient 

 length of nervous cord. With a convenient instrument, it is 

 practicable to seize and divide the exposed nerve through a smaller 

 opening than when a ligature has first to be passed underneath it ; 

 and we have two instruments in particular which answer this pur- 

 pose extremely well. One is the invention of 



Mr. Ernes, Veterinary Surgeon, Dockhead. It is in 

 the form — as will be seen in the woodcut at p. 21 6 — of a straight 

 sharp-edged bistoury, to the pointed part of the blade of which 

 is given a sort of hooked curve (c b d), after the fashion of the first 

 turn of a cork-screw ; the intention being to pass the point of the 

 blade (d), which is rounded off for that purpose, underneath the 

 nerve, and so lodge it upon the bend (6) of the instrument, which is 

 made flat and smooth to receive it, and to admit of sufficient force 

 being used to raise the nerve out of its bed, without chance of in- 

 juring it. This done, and the nerve examined and identified, one 

 semi-rotation to the right of the handle of the instrument (a) on its 

 axis will transfer the nerve from off the bend upon the cutting 

 part of the blade (c), whereupon any struggle the animal may 

 make at the moment, or any force used at the time by the hand 

 of the operator, effects its instantaneous division. 



The other instrument, though of totally different construction, 

 having similar objects, is the invention of 



Mr. Gowing, Veterinary Surgeon, Camden Town. As 

 will be seen by the cut representative of it (at p. 218), this instru- 

 ment resembles a pair of curved scissors, one blade of which (a) is 

 made with a mortise through it (d) of sufficient length to completely 

 receive within it the other, or cutting blade (b) ; the instrument ad- 

 mitting of thus being shut up, and then intended to answer simply 

 the purpose of a tenaculum, to be passed underneath the nerve, 

 and so raise it out of its bed for examination and identification. 

 This done, and the operator satisfied he has hooked the nerve, and 

 not either the plantar artery or the ligament of the pad, he gently 

 permits the nerve to slide sufficiently forward upon the blade a to 

 enable him to open the cutting blade (6), which now is ready, the 

 moment the nerve slides back again upon the mortised shaft of 



vol. IV. F f 



