Surgical and Obstetrical Operations 



A. SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



I. OPERATIONS ON THE HEAD 

 DENTAL OPERATIONS 



The grinding teeth of the horse, consisting of three pre- 

 molars and threemolarsin each row, are of such dimensions 

 and attachments that their removal in case of disease or 

 defect often presents diflBculties of no small degree. 



These teeth attain their greatest size at the time of erup- 

 tion and most of each tooth remains firmly imbedded in its 

 alveolus while a very shallow crown projects into the buccal 

 cavity. The teeth are gradually pushed out of their alveoli 

 when their crowns are worn away by attrition as age ad- 

 vances and the proportion of the intra- to the extra-alveolar 

 part gradually decreases until in very old animals the alveoli 

 become obliterated and the last vestige of what was once the 

 apex of the fang rests insecurely in the buccal mucosa. 



The facility with which teeth may be extracted increases 

 with the age of the anitrial, being as a rule easily drawn 

 with forceps in old, while in case of freshly erupted teeth in 

 young horses it may be almost or quite impossible to extract 

 them with forceps of any kind, except in those cases where 

 they have become somewhat loosened as the result of disease 

 or accident. When aberrations in development occur, lead- 

 ing to the formation of dental tumors or odontomes the 

 possibility of extraction by means of forceps is frequently 

 wholly excluded. In cases where dental disorder has led 

 to empyema of the facial sinuses, even if the tooth may be 

 drawn by means of forceps, further operation is generally 



