DOCKING— NICKING— REDUCTION OF HERNIA. 445 



Lastly, a little resin is melted over the end of the stump with the 

 iron now pretty nearly cooled, and the operation is concluded by 

 untying the hair. 



Nicking was formerly carried to such an extent that the poor 

 horse could not lower his tail, but was always obliged to carry it 

 over his back. Several deep cross-cuts were made in the under- 

 side after being docked, and then a cord was fastened to the hair, 

 and being carried over a pulley attached to the ceiling, the tail 

 was kept drawn up over the back by a weight at its end. The 

 horse could lie down by raising the weight, but by no possible 

 means could he lower his tail, and in course of time the wounds 

 healed by granulation filling up their spaces, and the nicking was 

 completed. When a horse now carries his dock too low, a sub- 

 cutaneous in3ision of the flexor tendons is made, which is generally 

 sufficient, but if not the pulley is adopted for a few days. Some- 

 times the tail is carried on one side, and then a similar operation 

 by subcutaneous division of the tendons on the side to which the 

 tail is carried will have the desired effect, always taking care in 

 each case to keep the knife clear of a joint. 



UNNERVING. 



The nerves distributed to the foot are sometimes divided for 

 navicular disease, as they lie on each side of the bone above the 

 fetlock joint. No one, however, should attempt this operation 

 without having previously seen it performed, as it requires con- 

 siderable dexterity for its due execution. I have described such 

 operations as may be wanted in the parts of the country where a 

 veterinary surgeon cannot always be reached, but unnerving is but 

 seldom required, and I shall therefore omit any detailed account 

 of it. 



REDUCTION OF HERNIA. 



Hernia is sometimes strangulated; that is to say, the protrud- 

 ing portion of bowel is confined in its situation by such pressure 

 on its neck as to cause danger of mortification. Under such cir- 

 cumstances, if it is found to be impossible to return the bowel by 

 careful manipulation, an operation must be performed. This con- 

 sists in carefully dissecting through the coverings of the bowel, 

 and when it is exposed, a long and narrow guarded knife (^Bistouri 

 cache) is passed by the side of the intestine through the opening 

 into the abdomen, and then making the blade prominent it is with- 

 drawn, and the fibres causing the pressure are divided. This 

 usually allows of the bowel being passed back again into the 

 abdomen, when the operation is completed by bringing the parts 

 together with one or two stitches. 



When hernia occurs in the colt either at the navel or 

 scrotum, it is often desired to efi"ect a cure by rcturniug the bowel 

 38 



