SUBCUTANEOUS CAUDAL MYOTOMY. 



103 



In withdrawing the canula replace the stilette and press 

 the skin against the abdomen with the thumb and finger of 

 one hand while the trocar is drawn out with the other. 

 This tends to prevent particles of ingesta from following 

 the canula out of the intestine and becoming lodged at 

 some point in the track of the wound to set up inflammatory 

 processes there. 



Before introduction, the trocar should always be rendered 

 sterile but should not bear irritant antiseptics, which be- 

 coming lodged in the wound tend to irritate the tissues and 

 produce abscesses. Puncture of the intestine is so often 

 extremely urgent that deliberate aseptic precautions are not 

 always practicable and trocarization only too frequently 

 results in abscesses in the abdominal wall. Its prevention 

 must depend chiefly upon the disinfection of the skin and 

 instrument. It becomes important to use an instrument 

 which is clean in advance. If the one one shown in Fig. 8 

 is well disinfected after using and the sheath is filled with 

 alcohol before it is screwed on, the instrument will remain 

 sterile until it is again unsheathed when the alcohol will 

 quickly evaporate and leave the trocar aseptic. 



21. SUBCUTANEOUS CAUDAL MYOTOMY. 

 Fig. 9. 



Object. The correction of curved tail. 



Instruments. Sharp straight tenotome, bandage. 



Technic. The point or points of curvature and their 

 extent are to be carefully noted by having the animal trotted 

 away from the operator. The curvature is generally due to 

 unequal development of the two levator or extensor muscles, 

 Fig. 9.-<?, though quite rarely the depressors,/, may be 

 implicated. 



