Castration 221 



the operation. The repeated rupture of these by compression 

 is indicated, but the constant tendency is toward an eventual 

 sclerosis of the organ. More seldom the operation is followed at 

 first by an exaggerated estrum with a large corpus luteumand, 

 after its dislodgement by compression, solitary or multiple 

 peripheral cysts appear and the ovary becomes sclerotic. Should 

 the changes in the ovary seem incurable and be accompanied 

 by nymphomania, the castration needs be completed. 



In a very valuable Simmerthal cow which had been under 

 treatment for nymphomania for nine months, we found the left 

 ovary the size of a hen's egg and affected with multiple cy.sts. 

 The right ovary was divided into two spherical parts, which were 

 separated about 4 cm. from each other and possessed a dumb-bell 

 form in miniature. In this patient the left ovary was completely 

 removed with an emasculator and, from the right organ, only one 

 of the two spherical masses was removed with the chain ecraseur. 

 Examination of this mass showed it to be a large, round, firm cor- 

 pus luteum permeated by connective tissue. Ten days later the cow 

 showed nymphomania, from a cyst formed in the right ovary, 

 and eight weeks later it became necessarj- to completely remove 

 the remainder of the right ovary because of extensive cystic 

 disease after the cysts had been ruptured eight times in vain. 



e. The results of complete castration are similar in man}' respects 

 to the successful handling by rupture of the cysts. The animals 

 become quiet, sexual excitement disappears completely and the sa- 

 cro-sciatic ligaments resume their normal position. As a result of 

 the decrea.sed vascularity, the uterus, vagina and vulva become 

 distinctly smaller, prolapsus vagince or prolapsus uteri portio vagi7i- 

 a//5 disappears and nutrition is increased, that is, the animal is more 

 readily fatted and, while the animal yielded but about three liters 

 of milk per milking before castration, by inhibiting the sexual 

 functions and reflexes, the milk is material!}' increased in quan- 

 tity and the ' ' holding up ' ' of the milk is stopped. The influence 

 of castration upon the course of tuberculosis — whether it amelio- 

 rates the disease and tends to cure it or not and what general 

 influence it exerts upon soundness and vigor, as indicated by 

 cardiac and muscular power — it would be interesting to determine 

 by further experiment. 



The sequelae of castration as observed by us in the course of 



