Bleeding. 123 



the wound will heal just as readily as if made by a smaller 

 instrument. A slight pressure, if the incision has been 

 large enough and straight, and in the middle of the vein, 

 will cause the blood to flow sufficiently fast ; or, the fin- 

 ger being introduced into the mouth between the tushos 

 and the grinders, and gently moved about, will keep the 

 mouth in motion, and hasten the rapidity of the stream 

 by the action and pressure of the neighboring muscles. 



When sufficient blood has been taken, the edges of the 

 wound should be brought closely and exactly together, 

 and. kept together by a small sharp pin being passed 

 through them. Round this a little tow should be wrap- 

 ped, so as to cover the whole of the incision ; and the head 

 of the horse should be tied up for several hours to pre- 

 vent his rubbing the part against the manger. In bring- 

 ing the edges of the wound together, and introducing 

 the pin, care should be taken not to draw the skm too much 

 from the neck, otherwise blood will insinuate itself between 

 it and the muscles beneath, and cause an unsightly and 

 sometimes troublesome swelling. 



The blood should be received into a vessel, the dimen- 

 sions of which are exactly known, so that the operator 

 may be able to calculate at every period of the bleeding 

 the quantity that is subtracted. Care likewise should be 

 taken that the blood flows in a regular stream into the 

 centre of the vessel, for if it is suffered to trickle down 

 the sides, it will not afterwards undergo those changes 

 by which we partially judge of the extent of inflamma- 

 tion. The pulse, however, and the symptoms of the 

 case collectively, will form a better criterion than any 

 change in the blood. Twenty-four hours after the oper- 

 ation, the edges of the wound will have united, and the 



