Qt 



J36 operation for poll-evil. [book II. 



abscess, a little below its centre ; taking especial 

 care that the knife do not pass cross-wise, lest the 

 attachment of the cervical ligament to the first 

 vertebrae of the neck should be severed ; in which 

 case the animal would droop its head ever after, as 

 may be learnt by consulting its construction, at page 

 68, On the escape of the matter, after ascertaining 

 by a probe whether it runs in pipes, or sinuses, this 

 way and that, or with small bits of diseased fibre or 

 membrane stretching across the cavity, so as nearly 

 to divide itinto unequal parts — leteach be just touched 

 with the knife or scalpel. There is no propriety in 

 the old practice of squeezing out all the offensive 

 matter from this kind of abscess, although it be 

 very proper in that deep-seated sort where no pipes, 

 nor the small cavities just spoken of, are to be felt 

 or seen, for the following reasons : the first men- 

 tioned kind have the case or cyst before described, 

 which contains all the matter, and if this be laid 

 open before the evil be sufficiently ripe, it does not 

 come away entirely. This, however, the operation 

 effects in two or three days, if kept running by 

 means of a seton, or other contrivance placed at the 

 orifice; but the application of tow, or any other 

 substance, that obstructs the escape of this matter, 

 is ever to be avoided. On the contrary, when the 

 abscess is very deep, reaching to the bone, which 

 may be felt, and presenting but one large cavity, 

 then the matter should be expelled by pressing 

 gently on two sides of it at once. Let the lips of 



