360 VETERINARY SURGICAL OPERATIONS 



tion, two per cent, followed by dusting with iodoform, is in- 

 dicated. 



At the end of fifteen to twenty days the sac sloughs off, 

 leaving a small granulating breach which heals during the 

 succeeding few days. 



SEQUEL-ffi.— (I) Recurrence of the Hernia.— The ope- 

 ration, though in the author's opinion the most effectual 

 against umbilical hernia, is not always successful, for there 

 are old cases that prove too refractory to recover. under any 

 line of surgical treatment. The failures are, however, for- 

 tunately few amongst young animals ; it is only the old stand- 

 ing cases of yearlings, two-year-olds and three-year-olds that 

 rebel against this, and in fact any of these palliative opera- 

 tions. In the case of old standing the ligature should not be 

 tied as tight as in young ones, in order to delay the sloughing 

 off of the' sac until the orifice has filled up with ciciatricial tis- 

 sue. Derr, in order to increase the local inflammation about 

 the orifice, has found it beneficial to inject sterilized salt solu- 

 tion subcutaneously around the base of the ligature in old 

 cases, which, in conjunction with the application of the liga- 

 ture rather loosely turned apparent failures into success. 



2. Peritonitis is a rare complication, resulting only when 

 the omentum of which the contents of the hernia is some- 

 times composed, was punctured with the skewers. 



3. Tetanus. — One case of tetanus has been reported, but 

 as that one occurred before the etiology of the disease was 

 known, little need be feared in this connection if proper anti- 

 sepsis is respected, especially in regard to the sterilization 

 of the skewers. 



Vanlaws Operation for Scrotal Hernia. 



DEFINITION. — A method of Hgating the tunica vagin- 

 alis near the internal abdominal ring so as to entirely obliter- 

 ate scrotal hernia without suturing the orifice itself. 



INDICATIONS.— Vanlaw's operation is indicated for 

 any oscheocele in any of the domestic animals. Scrotal her- 

 nias should be operated against early in life, as the chances 

 of successful intervention decrease with age: The operation 

 necessitates sacrifice of the testicle, hence it is performed at 

 the time of castration. In animals, the cure of scrotal hernia 

 with conservation of the testicle is rarely ever attempted. 

 Although the attempt has been successful a number of times, 

 the danger of fatal complications is great and the chances of 

 permanently curing the hernia are small, 



