128 VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



of proper indications for them in cities and towns. They are 

 not applied promiscuously to all kinds of diseased conditions, 

 nor as universal cures for the lameness of any one disease. 

 They are given a place among veterinary surgical operations 

 with an unequivocal restriction to their application. The ex- 

 tent of disease, the activity of the disease process, the nature 

 and function of the diseased structure, the occupation of the 

 diseased animal, the usefulness of the animal before and after 

 the operation, etc., etc., are all taken into account before any 

 particular neurotomy is recommended. Then when it is de- 

 cided to operate, an attempt is made to unnerve only the seat 

 of disease instead of sacrificing the sensation of a large region. 



GENERAL INDICATIONS.— The ideal indication' for 

 any neurotomy is a chronic unchangeable, slight lameness, 

 due to a diseased process that has produced the minimum 

 amount of structural alteration. In such circumstances if 

 the affected spot is accurately located and the nerve supplying 

 it with sensation is accessible to division, neurotomy is a 

 strikingly effectual commendable and a perfectly satisfac- 

 tory operation. It prolongs the working life of the animal, 

 relieves its pain and leaves no destructive sequel in its wake. 



In every case the inflammation must be of a chronic, inac- 

 tive character ; the structures implicated must be capable of 

 supporting the strain to which they will be subjected after 

 their sensibility has been destroyed, either alone or by arti- 

 ficial assistance ; and the unnerved parts thereafter must be 

 submitted only to such strain as they will be capable of with- 

 standing. 



These restrictions markedly curtail the number of indica- 

 tions, and with the limited means at hand for making the ac- 

 curate diagnosis demanded by them, they often leave a doubt 

 as to whether a given case is really an indication or a contra- 

 indication. It is therefore very evident that even though 

 neurotomy be preceded with a very careful and intelligent 

 meditation over its prudence, the errors in judgment, exem- 

 plified by post-operative sequelae and failures, will still be 

 legion. The best judgment of the best diagnostician may be 

 found wanting in one case, while the luck of a novice may 

 bring crowned success in another. Withal, there are exten- 

 uating circumstances which render the operation justifiable, 

 here and there, where the chances of failure are great; there 

 are cases and cases in which there is always some degree of 

 certainty as to its success ; and there are the small number of 

 ideal indications all of which in their totality create a no small 

 demand for the neurotomy operations in a veterinary prac- 



