CASTRATION. 177 



leaving it neither so long as to protrude from the 

 scrotum, nor so short as to be laid hold of with con- 

 siderable difficulty : let all be steady. 



The cord is now to be divided. It would appear to 

 be the most surgical way to do this with the knife ; 

 and afterwards to sear the end of the cord, in order to 

 prevent subsequent haemorrhage ; but haemorrhage 

 will sometimes occur afterwards, to the great trouble 

 and mortification of the operator. A better way is, 

 to draw a blunt firing-iron, which must not be too hot, 

 repeatedly across the cord, until it is divided; the 

 vessels will thus be in some measure torn asunder, 

 and quite as much stimulated by the heat as burned 

 by the fire; and much bleeding will rarely ensue. 

 The clams should therefore be a little loosened : that 

 the operator may see whether the bleeding is effec- 

 tually stopped. If there is oozing of blood from the 

 end of the cord, it is much more prudent to again 

 apply the firing-iron, which should be only at a dull 

 black heat ; than to run the risk of the vessels being 

 gradually forced open by the pressure of the blood. 

 There is no point, however, about which the surgeon 

 should be more anxious, than to apply the iron with 

 just sufficient severity to accomplish the intended pur- 

 pose, and no more; for it may be suspected %that 

 many of the colts which are lost in castration die from 

 inflammation produced by the needlessly severe ap- 

 plication of the cautery. 



The same mode of proceeding being adopted with 



regard to the other testicle, the operation is at an end, 



except the mere cleansing of the part with cold water. 



The colt should be turned into a paddock; for the 



i 5 



