134 ANIMAL CASTRATION 



there is every reason for operating early, and defer- 

 ring the operation until uterine atony and beginning 

 degenerative changes have taken place, lessens the 

 chances of recovery. As a rule swine withstand lap- 

 arotomies very well, and the cesarean operation should 

 be performed more frequently than it is in veterinary 

 practice, and when performed should be done early. 



Anatomy. — There exists no essential difference in the 

 anatomy of the abdominal wall in the region anterior 

 to the external iliac spine from that of the horse, ex- 

 cept that in sows there is usually found a heavy layer 

 of fat interposed between the subcuticular fascia and 

 the external oblique muscle, and the musculature of 

 this region is proportionately less vascular than in the 

 horse. 



The uterus and its horns are supported by an abund- 

 antly large, broad ligament. The body of the uterus 

 is very short and serves merely as a passageway be- 

 tween the horns and the vaginal canal. The uterine 

 horns are very long and necessarily tortuous, and it is 

 possible to bring any part of the horns to the surface 

 of an abdominal incision without difficulty. 



Anesthesia. — The problem of anesthesia in this work 

 is one which has been given considerable thought by 

 operators because they have learned from experience 

 that many sows do not readily withstand the effect 

 of chloroform, frequent losses being directly due to 

 chloroform poisoning. Dilutions of chloroform such 

 as A. C. E. in proportion of one part of alcohol, two 

 parts chloroform and three parts of ether, constitute a 

 very satisfactory agent for the production of anesthesia 

 in selected cases. Subjects that have been bred, fed 

 and otherwise cared for so that they have matured 

 early, are apparently more susceptible to untoward re- 

 sults occasioned by inhalation anesthesia. 



