RESECTION OF THE PREPUCE IN HORSES 467 



face, back at the same level in front of it and then tied as 

 tight as possible. 



The parts are protected against putrefaction by cleanli- 

 ness of the litter and by antiseptics. In hot seasons special 

 care in this connection is essential. Quinine administered 

 to the young, and potassium iodide to the mother with the 

 object of medicating the milk, are helpful. 



When urachal urination is accompanied with systemic 

 complications, especially if the articulations are already an- 

 nouncing the existence of pysemic arthritis, by tenderness 

 and swelling, closure of the urachus by ligations should not be 

 practiced. In such cases antiseptic and astringent irrigations 

 must be depended upon exclusively as local treatment and 

 the systemic complications must be managed by internal 

 medication of the young and the mother. 



Resection of the Prepuce in Horses— 

 (Circumcision). 



Circumcision is practiced in horses for hypertrophy of 

 the prepuce, when this condition causes impotence or chronic 

 paraphimosis. Inflammations of the penis, obstinate oedemas 

 of the penis and sheath, or even local injuries to the prepuce 

 itself are always very prone to end in a thickening of the pre- 

 putial fold into a hardened mass that obstructs the free move- 

 ment of the penis, and in stallions prevents normal copulation. 

 When the condition causes chronic paraphimosis in geldings 

 or when, in stallions, it incapacitates the individual for breed- 

 ing purposes, the only resource is resection of the hyper- 

 trophied mass and approximation- of the skin gap resulting 

 therefrom. 



TECHNIQUE.— The horse is secured in the dorsal re- 

 cumbent position. A general anaesthetic may be adminis- 

 tered, but local cocainization of the penis subcutaneously 

 just behind the enlargement to be excised will answer. For 

 this latter purpose a two per cent solution is injected hypo- 

 dermically in a circle around the entire organ. The penis is 

 held out by means of two pieces of tape, one hitched -tightly 

 some distance behind the enlargement (which also serves as a 

 haemostatic tourniquet) and one just behind the glands. The 

 dangling ends of these two tapes are placed into the hands of 

 an assistant who thus holds the organ firmly stretched into an 

 operable position. The penis and internal surface of the 

 sheath are given a good washing with brush, soap and water, 

 and then with a strong mercuric chloride solution. 



