CAUTERIZATION—FIRING., 79 
as possible the direction of the hairs, so that when they grow out 
again they may cover the marks.” He advocates, also, firing as 
a preventive, as practised in Oriental countries. ‘The only reason 
preventive firing is not done in this country, as it is in others, is 
because of the scars, which will lessen the value if the animal is 
offered for sale; but if one wishes to keep his horse, firing of the 
legs will do it good.” 
The hippiatres .of recent times have abused firing. Having 
but vague and incomplete notions about anatomy, they preferred it 
as a means of hemostasis. Although its use has been greatly 
restricted during this century, it remains yet in veterinary surgery 
a therapeutic method well established and daily used with success 
against numerous affections which have not yielded to other modes 
of treatment. No doubt it is painful, it imposes long rest, and at 
times leaves permanent marks ; but compared with the advantages, 
it offers, these objections are of little importance. 
Among the uses of actual cauterization, the most common are.for 
chronic affections of tendinous sheaths, of bones and of joints ; 
synovitis, hydarthrosis, sprains, luxations, exostosis, periostosis, ex~ 
tensive callosities, caries, and necrosis. It is the most generally used 
curative agent for some tendinous lesions, amyotrophia, chronic in-~ 
‘flammatory alterations of the connective tissue, and for various 
kinds of cysts. It is used also ordinarily for treating the old lymph- 
angitic and phlebitic indurations, fistule, refractory ulcers, summer 
and virulent wounds, anthrax tumors, septic swellings. 
There are two kinds of cauterization, the superficial and the deep, 
each of which is applied by various methods. Cauterization in sheet 
is not practiced ; and the ignited substances, the’ moxas, are no, 
longer used. As much can be said of causerization by radiation, or of 
’ the method with warm Kgquids and of mediate cauterization, 
The only processes used to-day are: 
1. Superficial cauterization, in points or in lines, in which the 
instrument does not penetrate deeper than the dermis. 
2. Cauterization with fine penetrating points, in which the skin is 
perforated through and through with one or several strokes of the 
cautery. . 
3. Needle cauterization, in which the instrument penetrates inta 
muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and synovial sacs. 
4. Subcutaneous Cauterization, done after incision of the skin. 
CAUTERIZATION OF SOLIPEDS. 
\ ‘ 
For firing in lines, instruments having the shape of a triangular 
prism are used. (Fig. 37.) They are of small size for thin skinned. 
animals; they are larger for those whose teguments are thick. The: 
