Animal Castration 117 



the same reason that boars are usually castrated, viz.: in order 

 to increase their usefulness and value for food purposes, (c) 

 In order that they may peacefully commingle with other hogs with- 

 out exhibiting the natural and acquired sexual habits of the boar. 



Most that has been written and published in regard to methods 

 of procedure is vague and some of it misleading. If the operator 

 follows the directions given by some so-called and so considered 

 authorities — namely, operation via scrotal incision — he will make 

 a haphazard job and be a monumental failure so far as his per- 

 manent results are concerned. Since the direct cause for the 

 bowel protruding into the inguinal canal and scrotum is on ac- 

 count of open condition of the internal abdominal ring, then how 

 can a scrotal operation correct the trouble? Especially is this 

 true when we recognize the fact that by no known means can 

 the internal abdominal ring be reached by a scrotal incision un- 

 less it be by a probe and a very long and small size probe at 

 that. Since the internal abdominal ring must be closed in order 

 to correct the condition and since this ring cannot be reached via 

 a scrotal incision, it becomes necessary if we expect success to 

 operate by an incision immediately over and in close proximity 

 to the ring. This operaton is the one which we will now illus- 

 trate and describe. 



Age — At 25 to 35 pounds weight. 



Season — Earh 7 spring, late fall and winter. 



Preparation — Withhold food for twenty-four hours in order 

 to have alimentary tract empty. 



Restraint — Suspended by means of a rope looped above hocks 

 and attached to a beam above. 



Position — Hanging just high enough so that the operative field 

 will be opposite the operator's breast. 



Instruments — 



1. Miles' hook castrating knife. (Fig. 25.) 



2. Emasculator. (Fig. 80.) 



3. Hagerdorn No. 3 needle (Fig. 84) carrying 20 inches braid- 

 ed silk No. 12 for suturing skin incision. 



4. Surgeon's full curved needle No. 5 (Fig 180 o) carrying a 

 sufficient amount of chromicizecl catgut (ten-day) to close the 

 internal abdominal ring. 



5. Richter's needle holder. (Fig. 34.) 



