58 General Principles of Veterinary Medicine, 



CHAPTER lY. 



VBTERIISTARY SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND MINOR 

 SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 



The Veterinary Pocket Case and its Contents — Preparations 

 , for per at ing — Bleeding — Setons — Firing — Sutures — 

 Operations on the Teeth — Blistering. 



Every stock owner who would qualify himself to take 

 proper care of the animals he possesses, should provide him- 

 self with a small pocket case of veterinary surgical instru- 

 ments, which he should keep always sharp and clean, and 

 use for their intended purpose, and no other. What such a 

 case should contain, and the uses of each instrument, we 

 shall now explain. In doing so, we shall preface it with the 

 remark that our endeavor will be to mention only the most 

 important instruments, and those in the use of which any 

 intelligent man can qualify himself by a very moderate 

 practice on dead animals — a form of education we earnestly 

 recommend. 



We have taken some pains to select, with the aid of the 

 advice of practical men in this department, a " Stock Owner's 

 Pocket Veterinary Case", which is represented in the cut on 

 the following page. It contains nine diiTerent instruments, 

 sufficient in number and variety for nearly all the lesser 

 operations which an intelligent owner, not a professed sur- 

 geon, would be called upon to perform. The instruments 

 and their uses are as follows : 



1. A blunt pointed 6 /s^oitr?/, slightly curved, for operations 

 under the skin, in cavities, etc. 



2. A thumb lancet. This form is safer than the ordinary 

 spring lancet, and much superior to the old-fashioned fleam, 



