446 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



counter-irritant, which can be made longer or shorter, 

 deeper or shallower, as skill may dictate. 



The skin should first be punctured with a lancet, which 

 will much facilitate the subsequent insertion of the needle, 

 whether the sharp or the blunt one be used. The latter will 

 be found preferable in every situation where it is possible 

 to make way with it through the subcutaneous tissue ; in 

 fact, the sharp-pointed needles are but seldom used. It 

 would be idle to pretend to give any specific directions for 

 using these needles ; the operation can be learnt only from 

 actual observation. The best material for setons is the 

 coarse brown, or beggars' tape, as it is called, which will 

 admit of being medicated (if thought necessary) in any 

 manner the operator may fancy. The practitioner must 

 not tie the ends of the seton, making a bow of it. From 

 its liability to hitch against anything and be torn out 

 with risk of laceration of the skin, this becomes objection- 

 able, and even dangerous. The ends had better be made into 

 knots, and left hanging out of the extremities of the wound. 



When a seton is placed in a sinuous track for the pur- 

 pose of inflaming, it is moved twice a day frequently, and 

 moistened each time with some stimulant, as oil of turpen- 

 tine, tincture of aloes and of benzoin. All setons require 

 daily cleaning and moving. When they are required to 

 act more quickly, the tape is infused in turpentine, with 

 powdered cantharides, or small pieces of black hellebore 

 are sewn within it. An old material composed of woollen 

 flax, or cotton and hair, is also used instead of tape. 



The frog seton recommended in navicular disease is to be 

 inserted through the heel. The animal being secured by 

 the twitch, an assistant holds up the foot. The needle is 

 then plunged into the heel, and by a second push brought 

 out at the cleft of the frog (previously thinned off for the 

 purpose). Then draw the tape through and knot the ends. 

 If the horse is down, insert the seton-needle from below 

 upwards. 



NICKING AND DOCKING. 



These once prevalent, dangerous, and barbarous disfigure- 

 ments having passed away — except in some dark parts of the 

 sister island, where animals thus mutilated and deformed 

 are still to be seen — we shall merely record our satisfaction 

 that they are obsolete. 



