44 BOVINE PATHOLOGY. 



major operations have to be resorted to by the veterinary 

 surgeon. The animal requires to be cast or otherwise to 

 be disarmed of defensive powers and ability to escape. 



Anesthetics have not been hitherto used much in 

 veterinary surgery. They are not so frequently required 

 as in human surgery because major operations on animals 

 are less frequent, and also because the amount of nervous 

 wear and tear in the lower animals is not so great as in 

 man, with his extremely elaborate and delicate nervous 

 mechanism. The pain of anticipation, also, in animals, 

 is reduced to a minimum. Chloeoeoem requires to be 

 administered in very large quantity to large herbivores, 

 and seems to so thoroughly impregnate the blood as 

 to interfere with subsequent healing processes and to 

 give rise to serious complications. This agent proves 

 more expensive than the owner of the patient generally 

 likes, and the preliminary stage of excitement produced 

 by it induces severe struggling and reduction of the 

 strength of the patient. Local anaesthesia as induced by 

 Dr. Eichardson's spray diffuser, has been used for certain 

 veterinary operations ; cold water is sometimes continuously 

 applied to produce this effect. 



Fio. 5. — Spray diffuser for anaesthetics or disinfectants. 



The preliminary treatment of a patient must be such as 

 will induce as vigorous a state of the constitution as is 

 compatible with the circumstances. Food of good quality 

 and wholesome, a free supply of air, and exercise, should 

 be adopted when possible. Operations should not be per- 



