280 BOVINE PATHOLOGY. 



the rent in the muscles are then to be brought together and 

 retained by metallic sutures. The wound in the skin is to 

 be closed subsequently. In a case of extensive hernia, 

 the sooner this operation is performed the better, for the 

 edges of the muscular lesion will have undergone less 

 profound changes, and therefore lymph will be more readily 

 thrown out. Of course the animal must be cast for the 

 operation, and must be placed in a position varying with 

 that of the hernia. The patient must be kept on soft 

 food, and apart from the herd in a quiet shed, until the 

 external wound has healed. When a ventral hernia is 

 injured, the intestine enclosed may ulcerate with the skin 

 and 2b false anus be formed. 



Phrenic, or Diaphragmatic hernia in the ox, is generally 

 a gastrocele. Thus in one case the reticulum and a 

 portion of the rumen passed into the chest. In another 

 the omasum and part of the abomasum (?) In such the 

 symptoms are those of strangulation in general, together 

 with special disturbance of respiration. Sometimes chronic 

 cases of this nature are found in cattle after death. Con- 

 cerning such, Youatt says, '^ The attack has been sudden 

 (at some time previously), but the colicky pains have not 

 been violent, they have intermitted, disappeared ; but an 

 habitual difficulty of breathing has been left behind, dis- 

 inclination to rapid motion, fright when suddenly moved, 

 anxiety of countenance, perhaps impairment of condition, 

 and certainly, impossibility of acquiring any considerable 

 degree of condition.^' 



Mesenteric Hernia is passage of a portion of bowel 

 through a rent in the mesentery ; it seldom occurs in the 

 ox; is liable to become strangulated, but cannot be ac- 

 curately diagnosed, in so far as we know at present. 



Inguinal and Scrotal Hernia differ simply in degree. 

 When the bowel — for it is generally enterocele — passes 

 through the internal abdominal ring, and so into the 

 inguinal canal, it is an inguinal hernia, but if it passes 

 through the external ring and enters the scrotum it is 

 scrotal. This form of hernia is frequently congenital, and 

 thus is very likely to disappear as the animal grows 



