CASTRATION OF CRYPTORCHIDS 23 



inal muscles about the margins of the ring, the 

 peritoneal curtain closing the ring, the processus 

 vaginalis, tends to push outward in the form of 

 an obtuse cone, while enclosed within it are the 

 gubernaculum and usually the tail of the epididy- 

 mis and the base of the vas deferens. The guber- 

 naculum, in its intra-abdominal position, is recog- 

 nized, as a somewhat distinct, firm, straight cord, 

 about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, some- 

 what movable within the peritoneum. The two 

 latter are recognizable as hard dense, coiled cords 

 or filaments, which are readily grasped beween 

 the thumb and fingers, and clearly recognized by 

 palpation. 



Securing the Testicle.— These facts we have 

 found of the greatest importance in the clinical 

 teaching of the operation. It is the keynote in 

 our method of instruction. We advance the 

 operation to this point, seize the processus vagin- 

 alis enclosing the gubernaculum, the vas deferens 

 or the tail of the epididymis between the thumb 

 and fingers, introduce a long pair of forceps, and 

 seize the gubernaculum, epididymis or vas defer- 

 ens, still covered by the peritoneum. We then 



