388 VETERINARY SURGICAL THERAPEUTICS. 
Complete accidental sections are met with wounds made on the course 
of nerves. In contused or torn wounds, the nerve is flattened or 
stretched, and as its resistance is greater than that of arteries and veins, 
it generally gives away only after them. Projectiles may perforate, cut or 
even tear off a piece of a nerve. 
Nerves are retractile like arteries ; after their section, both ends separate ; 
to favor the repair of the organ, it is indicated to apply suture of the nerve. 
The atrophy of the peripherical end is unavoidable; even with the most 
perfect suture, a cicatricial septum is always formed. It is not doubtful 
that sensibility and mobility may last or suddenly reappear a few days 
even a few hours after suture; but,as we have said, this must be explained 
otherwise than by the immediate reunion of the cylindraxis. However, 
clinical and experimental results justify the suture of nerves, and the opera- 
tion must always be done early. Although it has been performed but 
little in our animals, there are, however, indications for its use. In 
valuable animals, specially those of small species, it must be employed. 
Moller has with complete success sutured in the dog the tibial nerve 
accidentally cut. 
Here is the mode of doing it: 
Assisted by his anatomical knowledge and armed with the necessary in- 
struments (bulldog forceps, scissors, bistouris, catgut threads, fine needles), 
the operator should expose both nervous ends. In recent wounds, he will 
find them with their normal characters; their ragged ends should be 
smoothed over with the bistouri. In old wounds, the extremities are swollen, 
adherent to the surrounding vessels and united by a more or less solid struc- 
ture ; they must be slightly excised to bring incontact twofreshcuts. For 
the reunion, several ways offer themselves. A direct suture may be made by 
passing the thread in both stumps) ; the upper piece is first pierced 
through from forward backwards, at one or one and one half centimeters from 
the cut, then the needle is made to pass through the other stump, this time, 
from backward forwards. In the perineurotic indirect suture the 
thread passes in the neurilematic envelop; two stitches are sufficient 
to insure the coaptation, but often the sheath slips, tears, and it is then 
very imperfect. The paraneurotic suture does not involve the neurilemma ; 
it only encloses the surrounding connective tissue. Some surgeons apply 
four stitches, placed on the four sides of the nervous cords and including 
‘the sheath and the superficial fibres of the nerve itself (Berger). 
By using fine antiseptic thread (catgut or silk) and a needle of small 
caliber, the nervous cords stand well the direct suture. The peripherical 
end is held with the forceps, taking the neurilemma only ; it is run through 
with the needle and then the other end is secured. A knot regularly tied 
permits the perfect coaptation. The essential is to pass the threads near the 
