DISEASES OP THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 347 



the risk can be largely obviated, as the danger of unhealthy 

 inflammation in the wound is greatly lessened. The animal 

 should be fixed in a trevis, with each foot fixed to a post and 

 a sling placed under the body, or, better, it may be thrown 

 and put under chloroform. The manual operation demands 

 special professional knowledge and skill, but it consists 

 essentially in making an opening through the roof of the 

 vagina just above the neck of the womb, then following with 

 the hand each horn of the womb until the ovary on that side 

 is reached and grasped between the lips of the forceps and 

 twisted off. It might be torn off by an ecraseur especially 

 constructed for the purpose. The straining that follows the 

 operation may be checked by ounce doses of laudanum, and 

 any risk of protrusion of the bowels may be obviated by ap- 

 plying the truss advised to prevent e version of the womb. 

 To further prevent the pressure of the abdominal contents 

 against the vaginal wound the mare should be tied short and 

 high for twenty-four or forty-eight hours, after which I have 

 found it best to remove the truss and allow tha privilege of 

 lying down. Another important point is to give bran 

 mashes and other laxative diet only, and in moderate quan- 

 tity, for a fortnight, and to unload the rectum by copious 

 injections of warm water in case it should threaten to be- 

 come impacted. 



STERILITY. 



Sterility may be in the male or in the female. If due to 

 the stallion, then all the mares put to him remain barren; 

 if due to the mare, she alone fails to conceive. 



In the stallion sterility may be due to the following causes: 

 (a) Imperfect development of the testicles, as in cases in 

 which they are retained within the abdomen; (b) inflamma- 

 tion of the testicles, resulting in induration; (c) fatty de- 

 generation of the testicles in stallions liberally fed on 

 starchy food and not sufficiently exercised; (d) fatty degen- 

 eration of the excretory ducts of the testicles (vasa defer- 

 entia}; (e} inflammation or ulceration of these ducts; (/) in- 

 flammation or ulceration of the mucous membrane covering 

 the penis; (g) injuries to the penis from blows (often causing 

 paralysis; (h) warty growths on the end of the penis; () tu- 



