CASTRATION OF CRYPTORCHIDS 17 



or with lysol, bacterol, or carbolic acid. The 

 sheath being always dirty bacteriologically, the 

 smegma from this should be carefully cleared 

 away, and the sheath and prepuce anointed with 

 an antiseptic oil, glycerin or vaseline. The skin 

 having been allowed to dry completely, when the 

 patient is secured for the operation, the opera- 

 tive area may be liberally covered with tincture 

 of iodine, and allowed to dry before making the 

 incision. After the skin incision has been made, 

 additional security might be attained by again 

 applying the tincture of iodine to the margins of 

 the cutaneous wound. 



Incision. — Some operators make their incision 

 through the skin and dartos in the scrotal region, 

 parallel to the median raphe and one to two inches 

 laterally therefrom. Others make their incision 

 directly over the external inguinal ring and in the 

 same direction. By the first method, the operator 

 inserts his hand through the wound in the skin 

 and dartos, divides the loose areolar connective 

 tissue and pushes aside the numerous vessels, in 

 an upward and outward direction until he reaches 

 the external inguinal ring immediately at that 



