ABLATION OF THE OVARIES 281 



long-haired breeds, as complications ending fatally are not 

 rare. The disinfection consists of trimming the hairs from 

 the scrotum and washing with mercuric chloride of the usual 

 strength. 



The castration is effected by separate incision for each 

 testicle, and extirpation by traction, care being taken to ship 

 off protruding shreds of the cord. 



Ablation of the Ovaries. 



SYNONYMS. — Ovariotomy ; ovariectomy ; oophorecto- 

 my; spaying. 



DEFINITION.— Surgical removal of the ovaries. 



INDICATIONS.— The purpose of the operation of ab- 

 lation of the ovaries varies with each species of domestic ani- 

 mals. Pathological conditions of the ovaries, diagnosed 

 during life, are relatively rare in the domestic animals, and 

 therefore furnish few surgical subjects. Ovarian tumors, 

 ovarian cysts and ovarian abscesses occur somewhat fre- 

 quently in the bitch, cow and mare, but they are seldom 

 ever diagnosed in the living animal until operative interven- 

 tion would be useless. And besides, the operations for such 

 conditions belong to a higher order of surgical intervention 

 than is possible to perform in the domestic animals, especial- 

 ly upon the larger species. Spaying of animals does not be- 

 long to the treatment of diseases. Its purpose is to aug- 

 ment the usefulness or value of an already healthy subject. 

 In the bitch its chief purpose is to improve the value of a 

 pet, as such, by preventing conception, obscene manceuvers, 

 and the habit of roaming during the period of oestrum, and 

 to admit of free co-habitation with other dogs. In the ox 

 the economic value of the operation reaches a higher point 

 than in any other animal. In the western ranges, where 

 thousands of cattle herd together, thousands of heifers are 

 annually subjected to the operation with the primal object 

 of preventing the too rapid increase of the herd. It is the 

 policy of the rangemen to spay 10%, 20%, 50%, or even 

 75% of the heifers, according to the number of breeding 

 animals wanted for the next year's quota. A secondary ob- 

 ject of the operation is found in the increased value of the 

 spayed heifer as compared with the virgin or primipara, as 

 a meat producing animal. On the stock and agricultural 

 farms the heifers are spayed to admit of their free co-habita- 

 tion with bulls without interfering with their preparation for 

 market, and also to improve the quality of the meat. In 



