THE NERVE OPERATION. 365 



work. Now if the expense of the operation and the expense of 

 keep can be afforded, there can be no objection whatever to 

 the operation. Relief from pain and lameness is, in almost all 

 cases, inniiediate and certain ; and the duration of this relief, if 

 limited, may extend to a period of some months, or even years ; 

 and so com])lete is this relief, that during this period the horse 

 may do considerable work without suffering pain.* But there 

 are cases of lameness where the relief it affords is complete and 

 permanent. These cases may be known by there being no 

 deformity in the hoof, no ossifications about the coronet or 

 pastern, and no particular appearance of injury about the fet- 

 lock joints. 



The horse being thrown down and secured, according to the 

 directions given under that head, an incision is to be made 

 through the skin, three inches above the most prominent part 

 of the fetlock joint, when viewed side^vays, and just within the 

 flexor tendon, or back sinew, as rei:)resented in the plate of the 

 nerve operation. The incision having been carried quite 

 through the skin, the white cellular membrane will appear ; 

 this must be carefully lifted up with the forceps, and as carefully 

 and gradually dissected off, and then the nerve will appear 

 (as represented in the figure). As soon as the nerve is seen, 

 a tenaculum, or a large crooked needle, armed with a little 

 small twine, is to be passed under it, from within, outward, 

 in order to avoid puncturing the artery ; and, with the same 

 view, the point of the needle may be blunted in the most 

 trifling degree. A needle should be made for the purpose, not 

 quite so crooked as they commonly are, and curved only towards 

 its extremity. The needle then may be taken out, and the nerve 

 being gently lifted up with the twine, the cellular membrane 

 underneath may be snipped away with a pair of scissors, or 

 with a knife, carefully, so as to admit of a slender curved bis- 

 toury being passed under it without touching the nerve with the 

 edge ; as soon as this is done, and the nerve cleared up to the 

 highest part of the incision, the probe-pointed curved bistoury 

 is to be passed under it at the highest part, and the nerve 



* We have collected no less tban sixty-three cases of the successful 

 performance of neurotomy, nearly all of them being on horses that stood 

 sound a considerable time afterwards, some of them being hunted, and others 

 severely worked. Of these cases we find twenty-seven, in which it is not 

 mentioned whether the operation was performed above or below the fetlock. 

 There are eight cases of the low operation on one leg, and two in which it 

 was thus practised on both legs. We have thirteen cases of the high opera- 

 tion, nine out of which are on one fore leg, two on both fore legs, one on one 

 side of the leg only, and one on both legs, but one side of each. Besides which 

 we have six cases in which it was performed on one or both hind legs. There 

 are many other cases mentioned, thongh not related ; and there are two 

 instances in which the operation failed. — Spoonei- on the Foot, §-c. 



