. SURGICAL DISEASES 419 



have this peculiarity, namely, that gastrostomy or gastrotomy, 

 which usually give rise to the escape of a considerable amount 

 of gas, run as unfavourable a course as colotomy in horses, 

 where the gas is developed in the large intestine. 



Perityphlitis, starting from the vermiform appendix of the 

 caecum, only occurs with such disastrous frequency in man. 

 The majority of mammals do not possess an appendix, and 

 there are no pathological or anatomical records concerning in- 

 flammation of the appendix in such animals (anthropoids and 

 certain rodents) as do possess one. 



Congenital stenosis of the rectum or anus, occurring in dogs 

 and swine, and less often in bulls and horses, is of similar 

 surgical import as in man. 



Prolapse of the rectum and anus is a frequent occurrence in 

 horses, dogs and other domestic animals. 



Intussusception, which is so dangerous to man, is equally so 

 to the animals in which it frequently occurs, namely, cattle, 

 horses and dogs. Volvulus of the left colon in horses is equally 

 fatal. Hernia is caused in animals in the same manner as in 

 man. It may be congenital, owing to a widely open umbili- 

 cus or femoral ring, or may be acquired later owing to increased 

 intra-abdominal pressure or subcutaneous injury of the belly- 

 walls by blows from hoofs or horns. 



Man only differs in one point from animals. It is only in 

 him that the pull of a fatty mass from without can cause a 

 bulging of the peritoneum, and so lead to hernia. 



Umbilical hernia occurs in horses, cattle and dogs ; inguinal 

 hernia in bitches and the males of other domestic animals; 

 abdominal hernia in horses and cows ; perineal hernia is rare, 

 and is almost entirely confined to dogs, while diaphragmatic 

 hernia is more frequent in horses, and less frequent in dogs, 

 cattle and other domestic animals. 



A surgical condition which is peculiar to oxen, but which in 

 them is quite common, is internal hernia, in which the gut is 

 nipped by the spermatic cord, or its peritoneal attachment. 



Foreign bodies in the stomach and intestines demand no 

 special notice, as they give rise to the same symptoms as in 

 man, according to their character, and either remain inactive 

 till spontaneously expelled, or else require removal by operation. 



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