THE OPERATION OF LITHOTOMY. 173 



der, and the stone is seized; the right hand being in 

 the rectum will materially assist in accomplishing 

 this. The stone having been firmly grasped, ig 

 attempted to be withdrawn with a gentle movement 

 of the forceps, from side to side ; in order to surmount 

 any difficulty in the passage, and to prevent contusion 

 or laceration. After the stone is once grasped, the 

 operator must be careful not to lose hold of it until it 

 is extracted. 



In a great many cases, perhaps in the majority of 

 them, the forceps will be unnecessary ; as, the fingers 

 of the left hand being carried through the external 

 wound into the bladder, the right hand introduced 

 within the rectum will not only direct the stone to 

 them, but assist in forcing it through the orifice. No 

 stitches are passed through the edges of the wound. 

 The urine at first flows almost wholly through the 

 opening ; but the orifice, which should be bathed thrice 

 daily with the weaker solution of the chloride of zinc, 

 will gradually close ; for, at the expiration of about a 

 month, it will usually be healed, and the whole of the 

 urine be discharged through the urethra. 



In the foregoing description the operation has been 

 considered as it would be practised upon the horse ; 

 but in the mare it would be much more simple. No 

 staff would in the female be required, and no cutting 

 need be resorted to. The dilator can be at once in- 

 troduced, and that invented by Mr. Simonds is to be 

 preferred for the mare. After it has sufficiently ex- 

 panded the short urethra of the mare, the rest of the 

 operation is proceeded with in the same way as has 

 been already pointed out. 



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