NEUROTOMY. 581 



the oesophagus, the wound may be then closed by the 

 interrupted sutures, each holding a small piece of tow 

 above the orifice, and having their ends hanging out of the 

 external opening, which should also be brought together by 

 sutures. The after-treatment should be, to interdict all dry 

 food ; the animal ought to subsist on very thick gruel for 

 three, four, or five days. If the condition appears to suffer 

 much, allow malt mashes, and when so doing watch the 

 wound ; and if the matters taken in are seen to ooze out, 

 w^ash them away frequently with warm water, to prevent 

 lodgement, which might encourage sinuses to form ; and 

 after each washing syringe with some very mild stimulant, 

 as a very weak solution of sulphate of zinc (white vitriol) , 

 &c. &c. 



NEUROTOMY. 



DIVISION OF THE SENTIENT NERVES OF THE FOOT. 



Neurotomy has now stood the test of very extensive appli- 

 cation : our writers offer innumerable proofs of its restoring 

 almost useless animals to a state of much utility. And if 

 there are chances that it may occasion such injury as to 

 hasten the end of some horses, it is usually in such as the 

 disease would have done the same for at no distant period. 

 Having stated thus much in its favour, it must not be sup- 

 posed that we recommend it as an unqualified benefit, even 

 where it succeeds best. No neurotomized horse ever after 

 goes with the same freedom, nor with equal safety, as he did 

 before the operation was performed : indifference to the na- 

 ture of the ground gone over, is said to have fractured legs ; 

 it is quite common to batter the feet to pieces ; and although 

 horses have hunted afterwards, and hacknies have carried 

 their riders long distances, yet it is more calculated to prove 

 beneficial to carriage than to saddle horses. This we believe 

 to be a just statement of its merits ; but there are benefits 

 which it ofters to the animal of a more extensive and con- 

 stitutional kind. Those gained by the bodily system gene- 

 rally have been in some cases very marked : thus, an aged 

 and crippled stallion, from the irritation constantly kept up, 

 became so emaciated as to be unable to fecundate ; but 



