CASTKAXIOK.] 



THE HOESE, AND 



[CASTKATION, 



Dr. Bunting, are likely, at no distant day, to 

 sinjersede all the more antiquated systems of 

 breaking-in. 



CASTRATION, 



The period at which this important opera- 

 tion may be best performed, depends much on 

 the breed and form of the colt, and the pur- 

 pose for which he is destined. For the 

 common agricultural horse, the age of four or 

 live months is the most proper time, or, at 

 least, before he is weaned. Very few horses 

 are lost when cut at that age. The operation 

 should be performed when the weather is not 

 too hot, nor the flies too numerous. "We, 

 liowever, enter our decided protest against the 

 recommendation of valuable, but incautious 

 agricultural writers, that " colts should be cut 

 in the mouths of June or July, when flies 

 pester the horses, and cause them to be con- 

 tinually moving about, and thereby prevent 

 swelling." One moment's reflection will con- 

 vince the reader that nothing can be more 

 likely to produce inflammation, and conse- 

 quent swelling and danger, than the torture 

 of the flies hovering round, and stinging the 

 sore part. 



If the horse is designed either for the 

 carriage or for heavy draught, the farmer 

 should not think of castrating him until he is 

 at least a twelvemonth old ; and, even then, 

 the colt should be carefully examined. If he 

 is thin and spare about the neck and shoulders, 

 and low in tlie withers, he will materially im- 

 prove by remaining uncut another six months ; 

 but if his fore- quarters are fairly developed at 

 the age of twelve months, the operation should 

 not be delayed, lest he become heavy and 

 gross before, and perhaps has begun too de- 

 cidedly to have a will of his own. No specific 

 "ge, then, can be fixed ; but the castration 

 should be performed rather late in the spring, 

 or early in the autumn, when the air is tem- 

 perate, and particularly when the weather is 

 dry. No preparation is necessary for the 

 sucking colt, but it may be prudent to bleed 

 and to pliysic one of more advanced age. In 

 the majority of cases, no after treatment will 

 he necessary, except tliat the animal should be 

 sheltered from intense heat, and more par- 

 ticularly from wet. In temperate weather he 



will do much better running in the field than 

 nursed in a close and hot stable. The mode- 

 rate exercise which he will take in grazint^ 

 will be preferable to perfect inaction. A large 

 and well-ventilated box, however, may be per- 

 mitted. 



The manner in which the operation is pei- 

 formed will be properly left to the vetm-inary 

 surgeon. No comuiorj gelder should, now-a- 

 days, be permitted to perform this operation. 

 The old way of opening the bag, or scrotum, 

 on either side, cutting ofl" the testicles, and 

 preventing bleeding or haemorrhage, by the 

 temporary compression of the vessels while 

 they are being seared with a hot iron, may 

 not, perhaps, be entirely abandoned. There 

 is at least an appearance of brutality, and, we 

 believe, much unnecessary pain inflicted, when 

 the spermatic cord — the vessels and the nerve — 

 is tightly compressed between two pieces of 

 wood, as in a powerful vice, and left there 

 either until the testicles drop off", or is re- 

 moved on the following day by the operator. 



To the practice of some farmers, of twitch- 

 ing their colts at an early period, sometimes 

 even so early as a month, there is stronger 

 objection. When the operation of twitching 

 is performed, a small cord is drawn as tightly 

 as possible round the bag, between the testicles 

 and the belly. The circulation is thus stopped, 

 and, in a few days, the testicles and the bag 

 drop off; but not until the animal has greatly 

 suffered. It is occasionally necessary to tighten 

 tlie cord on the second or thii'd day, and in- 

 flammation and death have frequently ensued. 



A new mode of performing this operation 

 has recently been introduced — the operation 

 by Lorison. It has the merit of apparently 

 inflicting far less pain upon the animal, and 

 entirely supersedes the brutal firing system. 

 In performing it the scrotum is cut in the 

 same manner as we have already described, 

 and the vas deferens exposed and divided. A 

 pair of forceps, made for the purpose, is then 

 used to seize the artery, which is twisted half- 

 a-dozen times round. As soon as the hold of 

 the artery is relinquished, the coils are left 

 untwisted, and the haemorrhage has ceased. 

 The testicle is removed, and there is neither 

 sloughing nor danger, neither of whicli is 

 desirable. 



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