144 . ,^_ THE HOG. 



CHAPTER X. 



Operation! Bleeding Castration Catching and Holding Drenching Ringing, 

 BLEEDING. 



THIS is a most useful and necessary operation, and one which in 

 many diseases is of vital importance. The common and vulgar 

 mode of getting blood from the pig is by cutting off portions of the ears 

 or tail ; but these modes of proceeding should only be had recourse 

 to when local and instant blood-letting is requisite. The jugular 

 veins of swine lie too deep and are too much imbedded in fat to admit 

 of their being raised by any ligature about the neck ; it is therefore 

 useless to attempt to puncture them we should only be striking at 

 random. Those veins, however, which run over the interior surface 

 of the ear, and especially towards its outer edge, may be opened 

 without much difficulty : if the ear is turned back on to the poll, one 

 or more of them may easily be made sufficiently prominent to admit 

 of its being punctured by pressing the fingers on the base of the ear 

 near to the conch ; when the necessary quantity of blood has been 

 obtained, the finger may be raised and it will cease to flow. 



The palate veins which run on either side of the roof of the mouth 

 are also easily opened by making two incisions, one on each side of 

 the palate, about half way between the centre of the roof of the 

 mouth and the teeth. The flow of blood may be readily stopped by 

 means of a pledget of tow and a string, as in the horse. 



M. Gohier, who had considerable practice in bleeding swine, was 

 of opinion that the cephalic and sephena veins might be opened 

 without any great exertion of skill by any one who possessed a little 

 knowledge of anatomy. The lancet should be used somewhat ob- 

 liquely, and a sufficient quantity of blood having been obtained, the 

 flow arrested in the usual manner. 



Mr. Cupiss recommends the brachial vein of the fore-leg (com- 

 monly called by farriers the plate-vein) as a favorable place for 

 bleeding. This vein runs along the inner side of the fore-leg under 

 the skin, and the best place for puncturing it is about an inch above 

 the knee, and scarcely half an inch backwards from the radius. No 

 danger need be apprehended from cutting two or three times if suf- 

 ficient blood cannot be obtained at once. The vein will become 

 easily discernible if a ligature is tied firmly round the leg just below 

 the shoulder. 



Columella tells us "to let blood from the ear." or " strike a vein 

 beneath the tail at the distance of two inches from the buttocks, 

 where it attains sufficient size for the purpose, and it must first be 



