232 



VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



from the root of the tail and in the median line. The tene- 

 tome is passed through the skin, immediately deflected to 

 one side to avoid puncturing the middle coccygeal artery, 

 passed obliquely upward between the bone and the muscle 

 until its point reaches the level of its uppermost part. The 

 section is effected by turning the edge of the tenetome out- 

 ward and then pressing the muscle against it with the thumb 

 as the knife blade is made to execute a circular sweep corre- 

 sponding to the contour of the tail. As the most painful part 

 of the procedure is that produced by cutting off the muscle, 

 resistance must be provided- against as soon as the cutting 

 begins, by pushing the head upward and giving the twitch 

 an extra turn. If the patient takes a step or two forward 



Fig. 122— Section of the Tail Showing Muscles. 

 Show Direction of Knife. 



Straight White Lines 



it is important to follow the movement without releasing 

 the hold on the tail and to continue .the cutting as if no mo- 

 lestation had occurred. Otherwise, if the tail is suddenly 

 released and the tenetome not as suddenly withdrawn there 

 is always danger of breaking its slender blade within the 

 substance of the muscle. If the edge is keen-cutting and the 

 tail pushed taut over the back the. muscle snaps off almost 

 instantly with little opposition, while on the other hand if 

 the cutting is delayed by a dull knife or a relaxed state of 

 the muscle, the duration of the pain will provoke annoying 

 opposition that may necessitate withdrawal of the tenetome 

 several times before all of the muscle is finally divided. 



The opposite side is managed in the same manner 



