OPERATIONS WITH ANTISEPTIC PRECAUTIONS, 105 
we are told that the mortality is not great and that the time, 
trouble and expense of the task of operating under strict 
asepsis cannot be expected in the face of the small remunera- 
tion allowed for the operation. But the fact that death is a possi- 
bility is sufficient reason for the general adoption of better 
methods, which, if carried out, would soon result, in the passing 
of the non-professional castrator and subsequently in better 
remuneration for the educated and skillful surgeon. In any 
event, if the veterinarian of the large cities operated in the 
same careless manner, the mortality would be alarming. 
During the last few years the high price of carriage horses 
has resulted in bringing many trotting bred stallions to this 
market (Chicago) to be castrated and sold for the above pur- 
pose, and it has fallen to my !ot, from time to time, to operate 
on a large number of such animals. The stables in which they 
_are kept are never free from the usual infectious respiratory 
diseases so common in the Chicago Horse Market, and it has 
by no means been an uncommon occurrence for recently cas- 
trated animals to contract such diseases as early as the first, 
second or third day after the operation; and besides this un- 
pleasant feature the stables are in close proximity to the 
slaughter houses, fertilizing factories, hair fields, glue factories, 
the dead animal platform and the open sewer (the Chicago 
River). Confronted with such circumstances, the castration 
of valuable adult horses was always a hazardous undertaking, 
and after fighting with septic processes in a number of cases, 
I adopted the following method which thus far has given flat- 
tering results, and in spite of the fact that a number of animals 
operated unfortunately contracted various asthenic diseases of 
the air passages before the healing process was complete, no 
deaths have ever followed. 
I provide myself with the following equipment: 
(a) Scalpel, ecraseur, a slender grappling forcep about 2 
decimeters in length, and a sponge, all of which have been ster- 
ilized by boiling and conveyed to the place of operation in a 
sterilizer or wrapped in a sterilized towel. 
(b) Mercuric chlorid triturates. 
