INGUINAL OR SCROTAL HERNIA 701 



kept in a 3 per cent, solution of one of the tar disinfectants while 

 not in use. 



Directions for Operating. — The pig should now be caught and 

 held up by the hind legs with the head down. This gives oppor- 

 tunity for the intestines in the rupture to pass back into the belly. 

 The scrotum should now be washed well with 3 per cent, creolin 

 solution or a solution of equal strength of any of the other tar disin- 

 fectants. It should then be washed off with alcohol and painted 

 over thoroughly with tincture of iodin. 



With the knife now make an incision into the scrotum down 

 to the tunica vaginahs of the testicle. This is the outer covering of 

 the testicle and is recognized by its shiny appearance. The open- 

 ing in the scrotum should be a fairly good-sized one, and should 

 be large enough to permit of drawing the testicle and its coverings 

 out through the incision so as to be able to see what you are 

 doing. The cord and coverings are drawn down as far as possible, 

 and a needle carrying a ligature is passed through the cord and its 

 membranes just as high up as possible. The needle is then removed 

 and the ligature tied tight. With the scissors the cord is now cut 

 off about \ inch from the hgature. The testicle which has now 

 been severed from the cord is removed, the opening in the scrotum 

 may be partly closed by a couple of stitches, and the animal is 

 allowed to escape. By this operation the sac is tied off and the ab- 

 dominal cavity completely closed. This prevents any chance of the 

 rupture returning. 



The Open Operation.— \n this operation the animal is held up 

 by the hind legs, and the rupture returned to the abdominal cavity 

 as before. The same precautions should be observed with respect 

 to thoroughly cleansing the scrotum and sterilizing the instruments 

 by boiling. The incision is made in the scrotum and the cord 

 ligated and cut, with removal of the testicle. The operator now 

 takes several stitches in the muscles around the external opening 

 of the inguinal canal in order to make the closure more complete. 

 One or two stitches are then taken in the scrotum to partially 

 close the incision made on removing the testicle. This operation 

 requires more skill than the covered method and the results are not 

 much more satisfactory ; in fact, many operators report better results 

 from the covered operation than where the open method is used. 



