VENTRAL HERNIA 703 



can possibly be drawn. Before doing this, however, make sure, by 

 careful examination and palpation, that the sac is empty, and that 

 it does not still contain one or more loops of intestine. If a part 

 of the gut be included in the sac when it is tied off the outcome will 

 be most undesirable, and death of the pig will probably follow from 

 gangrene of the bowel and peritonitis. 



This cord which has been tied around the sac causes the sur- 

 rounding tissues to swell, and this closes the opening in the floor 

 of the abdomen. At the same time the tightly drawn cord stops 

 the flow of blood from the blood-vessels into the tissues of the sac 

 and this appendage dies and sloughs off. Fibrous tissue now closes 

 up the opening and the animal is well. 



In cases where the rupture is large this simple method of liga- 

 ture is hardly sufficient, and it is necessary to make a double or 

 multiple ligation. This is accomplished in a very simple manner. 

 The sac and the skin of the surrounding region are carefully 

 cleansed as before. The sac is emptied as before and a heavy linen 

 thread or ligature threaded in a needle is carried through the base 

 of the sac. The thread is then divided and each half tied separately. 

 In this method the needle is threaded with a double thread. 

 Instead of this, a single-thread ligature may be used and passed 

 through in two points close together, and each tied separately on 

 the opposite sides. In this manner each thread ties off one-half of 

 the sac. It is well to have the assistant pull up gently on the 

 hernial sac so as to place it a Uttle on the stretch. In this manner 

 it is possible to get the stitches quite close to the belly wall. 



With some of the old, long-standing cases it may be impossible 

 to return the contents of the hernial sac into the abdominal cavity, 

 due to the fact that they have adhered or grown fast to the wall of 

 the sac. In these cases it is necessary to carefully open into the 

 tumor sac and break down these fibrous bands of adhesion. The 

 gut is then returned to the abdominal cavity and the edges of the 

 opening stitched across from side to side. This is quite a difficult 

 operation, and should be attempted only by a skilled veterinarian. 



VENTRAL HERNIA 

 By far the more common forms of hernia in the hog are the 

 scrotal and the umbilical. In both of these cases the intestine es- 



