CASTRATION OP THE STALLION 29 



of the animal. Since you have already agreed with your assistants to hold 

 thciscrotum as long as he holds the twitch you are in honor bound to do 

 so, .^nd by so doing you will come out victorious in nineteen out of twenty 

 attempts. With the knife in the right hand, select a point well forward 

 on the scrotum, then quickly jab the knife point into the testes to the depth 

 of about one inch; now with a quick, bold sweep of the knife backward 

 make a slash sufficiently large to expose the testicle, or a more explanatory 

 term would be, "drop" the testicle from the scrotum. Before releasing 

 your hold on the scrotum, the opposite testicle should in like manner be 

 dropped from it. The two slashes should be made about one inch to the 

 right and one inch to the left of the median line and parallel to it. You 

 now grasp with your left hand either of the testicles and make downward 

 traction on the spermatic cord, varying from one to five pounds, depending 

 upon the age and size of the animal. Then with the emasculator — which 

 is handed to you by a second assistant, or better still, carried in a spe- 

 cially constructed pocket in your union-alls — sever the spermatic cord as 

 high in the inguinal canal as possible, after which remove the opposite tes- 

 ticle in the same manner and release the animal. 



If you have been dexterous and have not "loafed on j^our job" you have 

 consumed the whole of six to ten seconds' time. However, if you have 

 been engaged as long as fifteen or twenty seconds you need have no re- 

 morse of conscience, as oftentimes it takes — what otherwise would be con- 

 sidered a fairly good veterinary surgeon — as long as twenty minutes to 

 finally succeed, after much effort and a great fight, in removing both tes- 

 ticles from a stallion in the standing posture, and some, even after gradu- 

 ation and many years' experience in j^ractice, cannot do it at all. 



Prognosis, Care and Treatment — See page 23. 



Sequelae — See under proper heading in subsequent pages. 



Advantages of Operating in Standing Posture — (1) Conservation of time 

 and energy on the part of the operator, as it is possible for an experienced 

 and dexterous operator to castrate a stallion in the standing position in 

 six to fifteen seconds' time, provided the animal behaves well. Whereas in 

 the recumbent posture it requires from six to fifteen minutes to cast, tie 

 and castrate. It is much easier on the operator to ca.strate in the standing 

 posture, as less work and exertion are required. 



(2) Safety and comfort to the patient, since the danger of casting and 

 tying is obviated and the animal is not exerted or "heated up" to the 

 extent he would be were he cast, tied and castrated in the recumbent pos- 

 ture. 



(3) By castrating in the standing posture— provided it is done with 

 dexterity — the surgeon makes a favorable and lasting impression upon his 

 client, an impression which Avill not wear off. 



