CASTRATION AND SPAYING 257 



This haemorrhage is easily recognized from the former by 

 the size of the stream and when there is any doubt, by pass- 

 ing the finger into the incision the synchronism of the spurts 

 with heart beats is easily recognized. 



When haemorrhage is recognized as coming from the 

 spermatic artery, it should be arrested without delay as its 

 spontaneous arrest is not likely to occur until a harmful 

 amount of blood has been lost. The loss of blood from cas- 

 tration leaves the patient at the mercy of the septic se- 

 quelae even when it does not itself cause death. In fact, 

 few patients that have bled profusely do well for some time 

 after the operation. They swell badly, fever generally su- 

 pervenes and the clotted blood in the scrotum usually fur- 

 nishes a field for an active sepsis. The mortality amongst 

 patients that have bled profusely is higher than among 

 those operated upon bloodlessly. 



There are various methods employed to control spermatic 

 haemorrhage. In tractable subjects it is sometimes pos- 

 sible to pinch the artery between the thumb and finger for 

 a few minutes with successful results, or to snap an artery 

 forcep upon it. By applying a twitch and lifting a hind leg 

 with the sideline these simple efforts are indeed very fre- 

 quently successfully carried out. When the cord has been 

 cut very short and the patient is restive packing the scrotum 

 with an antiseptic wadding held in place with a few stitches 

 across the incision, may be tried, but by far the safest and 

 the most effectual method is to place the patient in the re- 

 cumbent position and ligate the artery with a catgut or a 

 silk ligature, and then submit the interior of the canal and 

 scrotum to a good irrigation to rid it of blood clots and to 

 cope with the infection that may have occurred during the 

 execution of these steps. 



Prolapsus of the Intestines is a rare accident of castration 

 when the operation has been preceded by a careful examin- 

 ation for hernia, but when through carelessness no effort 

 was made to determine the existence of hernia or when the 

 patient was too fractious to approach near enough to do so, 

 there is always danger of prolapsus some minutes after the 

 operation is completed. In the recumbent position hernia 

 may escape notice by the contents falling back into the ab- 

 dominal cavity as the patient is rolled upon its back, and oc- 

 casionally hernia, especially epiploceles, are not conspicuous 

 enough to attract attention even when a careful examination 

 is made. 



Prolapsus of the intestines is always fatal unless prompt- 



