334 DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION 



fully, the animals soon becoming accustomed to the loss of the leg, using 

 the other three with almost as much ease as they did the four. 



Amputation. — Before the operation clean the affected leg with soap 



and with a Inrush; then disinfect with powerful antiseptics (5 per cent. 



solution of carbolic acid, 1 to 1000 solution of corrosive sublimate, or 



2 per cent, solution of creolin). In operating, the animal is put under 



ether or narcotized in some way; do so with as little loss of blood as 



possible. To accomplish this, use a rubber bandage as a tourniquet. 



All of the rules of antisepsis must be strictly adhered to, and at short 



intervals, during the operation the wound must be irrigated \\\i\\ some 



antiseptic. Avoid any serious manipulation or compression of the soft 



parts, The skin must always be cut in such a manner as to cover the 



stump when the two ends or flaps are united. All the vessels, arteries 



as well as the veins, which have been cut must be taken up separately 



with the forceps, and ligated with catgut or silk. All stumps of nerves 



which lie loose upon the wound are to be drawn out with the forceps and 



cut off as close as possible. The bandage must not be removed until all 



the blood vessels have heen ligated (Fig. 108). The wound and its 



neighborhood are then thoroughly irrigated with an antiseptic solution 



and closed with stitches, as illustrated on page 333, Fig. 108, c; and 307, 



Fig. 118, a and b. The whole wound is to be covered with a permanent 



antiseptic dressing. For further details, see Treatment of Wounds. 



There are three methods at the disposal of the operator. 



(1) Amputation by Means of a Circular Section. — Cut through the 



skin of the affected extremity to the fascia, making a complete circle 



around the member. Pull back the skin and have it held by an 



assistant, he pulling the skin toward the body as far as possible. It may 



be necessary in some instances to dissect a small portion of the skin and 



the cellular tissue from under the layer of the skin. After that make a 



sharp, clean circular cut, close to the edge of the skin which is pulled 



back, amputating all the muscles, and then cut the bone with bone forceps 



(Fig. 108, a), or saw through the bone. "While cutting through the bone 



it is necessary for the assistant to pull back the soft tissues as far as he 



possibly can toward the body, either with his hands of by means of a 



linen compress which has been dipped in an antiseptic solution. In 



cases where amputation of the extremities is to be performed, where 



there are two bones, as in the forearm, it is necessary to cut the soft 



tissues that are located between the bone. 



Flap Amputation. — This is made by cutting two half-moon-shaped 

 flaps of the skin and separating them from the fasciie in which they are 

 located as far as their base, turning them upward and backward. The 

 muscles are cut close to the flaps, the tissues pulled back, and the bones 

 sawed through and the ends of the fjap carefully stitched (Fig. 108, h). 



