PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION 



There is an obvious advantage in having 

 grouped, in one small volume, really meritorious 

 discussions of the cases most common at any 

 season. The articles in this book, which are re- 

 printed from the American Journal of Veteri- 

 nary Medicine, constitute, we believe, the most 

 instructive yet brief description, and the most 

 helpful case-reports to be gleaned from the liter- 

 ature on the surgical and obstetric problems com- 

 mon during the foaling and castrating season. 

 The discussions of "Springtime Surgery," while 

 in no sense exhaustive, yet constitute, for the 

 practising veterinarian, a valuable supplement to 

 the standard textbooks of veterinary surgery 

 and obstetrics. 



The superior merit of these articles amply 

 justifies their reproduction in a form more per- 

 manent than is offered by magazine publication. 

 The frequent requests from subscribers for 

 copies of the issues of "Veterinary Medicine" 

 containing various of these articles convinces us, 

 that their presentation in book form will be wel- 

 comed by a large number of veterinarians and 

 that this volume will be of much usefulness in 

 this field. 



The Editor. 



Chicago, March, 1912. 



