INTRODUCTION 11 
this affliction from every angle is therefore a 
worthy enterprise. It is at least a problem of 
the rural districts of the Middle West that is 
neither well handled, nor, so far as we can per- 
ceive, intelligently studied. 
The loss in horses in Illinois from fistula 
alone reaches into the thousands. The loss to 
veterinarians from their helplessness in han- 
dling the cases and the discredit this state of 
helplessness brings to the veterinary profession 
are matters to be thoughtfully considered. 
The fact that the treatment of poll-evil is no 
longer an unsolved problem in veterinary sur- 
gery, and that this treatment, now standard 
for more than ten years, has proved as nearly 
universally successful as any surgical depart- 
ure can prove, and the further fact that this ail- 
ment differs from fistula of the withers only in 
matters governed by the location, should, it 
seems to us, have spurred veterinarians to re- 
sort to similar measures for handling both. The 
fact that the latter is located in a more com- 
plex region and requires an operation of great- 
er magnitude is, we believe, the only reason 
why no advance has been made in its treat- 
ment. 
Better surgery from every angle by which 
good surgery is judged (anesthesia, restraint, 
asepsis, hemostasis and wound treatment) 
