42 6 VETERINARY LECTURES 



up to the body, without any bad effects following. This I have 

 done several times. 



744. Escape of the Bowels through the incision is, however, 

 very dangerous, and generally due to the animal having had scrotal 

 hernia or rupture. Should the bowels escape immediately the 

 animal gets on to its feet, they must at once be secured in a large 

 bed-sheet, which is then tied up round the loins, brought under the 

 tail and over the quarter ; the horse should then be re-cast, and the 

 protruding bowel returned, and the opening secured by a wooden clam. 



745. Septicaemia, or Blood-poisoning, may result from the 

 animal not being in a fit condition for the operation, also from the 

 use of dirty instruments, or from the operator having unclean hands, 

 or from dirty and filthy surroundings (par. 741). 



746. Abscesses. — These may form in the scrotum after castration, 

 and give rise to a great amount of trouble. Hot fomentations must 

 be used, and the parts opened when ready — that is, when the swell- 

 ing is soft and doughy to the touch. This complication is more 

 frequently seen in bulls than in horses. 



747. Scirrhous Cord. — This is a thickening of the end of the 

 cord, which sometimes follows after castration ; it is generally of 

 the nature of a hard swelling, in which small abscesses may gather, 

 burst, and become very troublesome. As to its origin, there is no 

 well-defined cause. The best and most radical treatment is to cast 

 the animal and dissect the diseased portion out, though some cases 

 recover under the administration of 2 drachms of iodide of potassium 

 given daily for two to three weeks. 



748. Peritonitis, or inflammation of the covering of the bowels 

 (par. 314), and Tetanus (par. 614) may also supervene. 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE FEMALE GENERATIVE 



ORGANS. 



749. Ovarian Diseases.— The ovaries of the mare and cow 

 may become enlarged, diseased, or affected with dropsy ; happily, 

 however, such cases are uncommon in these animals. When 



