CASTRATION. 443 



diiced while moist into the grooves, which it should completely fill. 

 The horse is then secured as before, the cord is exposed, the piecea 

 of wood are adjusted on each side, and firmly held together with 

 pincers by an assistant, while the operator binds their ends together 

 with waxed string. The testicle may now be removed with the 

 knife, if the string has been tied sufl&ciently tight ; but unless the 

 operator has had some experience, it is safer to let it remain on till 

 it comes away by the ulceration of the cord. This is the uncovered 

 operation^ the covered one being performed with the same instru- 

 ments, as follows. The scrotum is grasped, and opened, taking 

 care to avoid wounding the tunica vaginalis reflexa, or outer serous 

 investment, but cutting- down to it through the skin, dartos muscle, 

 and cellular membrane. These are to be carefully dissected back, 

 until the cord can be isolated without wounding its serous invest- 

 ment (tunica vaginalis), which is so thin that it is easy to.ascertain 

 with certainty the nature of its contents by examination with the 

 fingers. If there is no hernia, the caustic can at once be applied 

 to its outside in the same way as before ; and if there is, it must 

 be pushed back into the cavity of the abdomen, by a little careful 

 manipulation. 



Some veterinary surgeons operate in a similar way to one 

 or other of the two last described plans, with the omission of the 

 caustic, which they maintain is wholly unnecessary, for there must 

 be sufficient pressure to cause a sloughing of the cord. There is 

 certainly some truth in this argument, but if the pressure has not 

 been sufiicient to cause the sloughs, the caustic will assure that 

 essential process, and thus it renders the operation safer, though 

 it somewhat increases the subsequent local inflammation. The 

 plan without caustic is almost precisely the same, as far as safety is 

 concerned, as that formerly adopted by country farriers, called 

 " twitching," in which two pieces of wood were applied on each 

 side the base of the scrotum, and tied firmly at each end. The 

 pain, however, occasioned by the pressure on so large a surface 

 of skin is intense, and the operation is on that account indefensible, 

 besides which it is not nearly so successful as either the ordinary 

 English or French operations. 



[The accompanying engraving represents the Ecraseur introduced to his 

 students by the Editor some eight years since. Its use obviates the necessity 



Fig. 24. /<S» 



of any previous preparation, so that a horse of twenty years is operated 



