SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 289 



as a matter of everyday occurrence by animals upon each other when 

 left to wear in confinement their weapons of offense, which, although 

 doubtless of utility in a wild state, are, in a state of domesticity, a men- 

 ace to their companions and a dangerous incumbrance to themselves. 



The matter has acquired enhanced importance from the fact that, 

 owing to the strenuous efforts made by the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, the invidious discrimination which barred the entrance 

 to Europe of American stackers has been removed, and our cattle 

 now make lengthened journeys by land and sea. The removal of 

 their horns will, then, not only lessen the owner's risk, but will also 

 add materially to the comfort and safety of the animals themselves. 



But there is fortunately within the reach of all an open avenue of 

 escape from that portion of the operation which supplies the only 

 cogent argument against the practice under discussion. 



The owner of the two or three days old calf, if he wishes it to all 

 intents and purposes a " moolly," can dehorn it, or, more correctly 

 speaking, prevent horns ever developing, by means of a chemical prep- 

 aration which reduces the pain to a minimum, while it is even more 

 effectual than either the saw or forceps. There are several chemical 

 dehorners advertised in the open market, most or all of them effective, 

 but the cheapest and simplest consists of a stick of caustic potash. 



The operation is performed as follows, and is uniformly successful, 

 if performed before the calf is three days old : The little animal is 

 caught and gently laid over on its side, in which position it is easily 

 held by one assistant while the operator clips the hair off the trifling 

 prominence on the frontal bone which marks the spot on the upper- 

 most side of the head where the horn would be developed if not inter- 

 fered with. He then takes his stick of potash, dips it in cold water, 

 and carefully rubs it over the part just clipped for the space of, say, 

 ten seconds. The calf is now turned over, the corresponding portion 

 of the frontal bone on the other side clipped and thoroughly rubbed 

 with the moistened potash the same way as the first. By this time 

 the side first treated is dry and ready for a second application of the 

 caustic, which should conform exactly to the first. Follow the same 

 procedure on the remaining side, where the matrix of the embryo 

 horn has been located, and, if the caustic has been properly applied, 

 no horns will ever make their appearance. 



For animals intended to be kept either for steers or dairy cows, 

 nothing can be more effectual, but it were well to discriminate between 

 these and the head of the herd, the bull, and for this reason: We 

 dehorn our cows and steers chiefly to protect them from each other, 

 whereas our main object in dehorning the bull is to protect ourselves. 

 For this reason our end in the case of the latter is more effectually 

 accomplished if we leave him in possession of his horns until he has 

 learned to rely upon them as his weapons of offense and defense and 



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