CHAP. II.] SPRING FLEAM : LIGATURE. 563 



artery that passes under the vein ; yet are there in- 

 surmountable obstacles to the general use of the 

 lancet, that never can be overcome. 



Of those, we need mention but one objection, viz. 

 the time occupied in making the opening — seldom 

 less than four or five seconds, which causes the 

 animal to move its head, and thus to defeat the in- 

 tention of making a sufficient orifice, whereby the 

 adipose membrane of fleshy animals is allowed to in- 

 terpose, and the blood trickles down the neck, and 

 part of it gets underneath the skin. By the way, 

 this happens when the operator does not bleed suf- 

 ficiently high up the neck, the skin and muscle 

 being much thicker lower down. Upon large ani- 

 mals, likewise, the lancet is wholly incompetent to 

 its purpose, owing to the very thick teguments it 

 has to pass through, leaving entirely out of con- 

 sideration the substance of the vein itself. To re- 

 medy those objections, the spring fleam is more ad- 

 visedly employed by less practised hands, and is 

 found to combine the advantages assumed for the 

 lancet, whilst it secures the requisite orifice punc- 

 tured by the fleam. 



Bleeding is now performed without previously 

 applying a ligature, as it became apparent that the 

 blood which was thus detained in both veins, dis- 

 tended also the capillary vessels in the head, which 

 then press upon the brain. Hence it frequently 

 happened that vertigo came over the animal, filling 

 it with the apprehension of danger. Sometimes it 

 fell down through compression of the brain, and 



Bb 6 



