240 THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF 



INGUINAL HERNIA. 



When rupture in the groin appears at birth, it is congenital, 

 and consists of a portion of intestine, which has found its way 

 through the inguinal canal — the channel through which the 

 testicle descends into the scrotum. This can readily be reduced 

 by raising the animal by its hind legs, and giving it a few 

 jerks upward. If the intestine slips down again, and the case 

 requires it, I should castrate the animal and put a stitch or two 

 in the external ring, or else castrate by the clam method, which 

 will produce considerable swelling and block up the passage so 

 that the bowel cannot descend. The clams may be removed at 

 the end of twelve hours. 



STRANGULATED HERNIA. 



The intestine will occasionally descend into the scrotum, and 

 become strangulate, so that it cannot be returned. In a case 

 of this character, the operator must dilate the ring (through 

 which the intestine descended), by means of a probe-pointed 

 bistoury ; having returned the bowel let the animal be castrated 

 and then apply the clams. 



Strangulated hernia occurring in any other part of the body, 

 must be treated as follows : If the protruded bowel is tumefied 

 in consequence of gas within, it may be punctured in one or two 

 places by means of a suture needle ; this will allow the gas to 

 escape ; then efforts should be made to return the protrusion ; 

 failing to accomplish this object in consequence of stricture or 

 thickening of the walls of the abdomen, I should introduce the 

 bistoury, and dilate the wound. The reader will infer, and 

 rightly so, that I am alluding to a case in which there is an 

 accidental external wound, otherwise it would constitute what 

 is called ventral hernia. 



VENTRAL HERNTA. 



This form of hernia consists of an escape of a portion of 

 the intestines through a rent in the abdominal muscles, creating 



