SCIRRHOUS CORD. 123 



merging into the latter. On the other hand, I have seen a case 

 of scirrhous cord become fully developed within three weeks after 

 castration. In it, the lower end of the cord was of the thickness 

 of a man's fore-arm, and had two sinuses about three inches deep, 

 and full of thick pus. Old standing cases of thickened cord with 

 adherence to the scrotum, but without suppuration, may be due 

 to external irritation accompanied by increased vascularity, and 

 not to the action of a parasite; although the part in them is 

 particularly well-placed to become infected by such an organism. 

 Death may take place by the debilitating effects of the disease, 

 and by the tumour extending into the abdomen. 



CIKCUMSTANCES PKEDISPOSING TO SCIRRHOUS CORD.— 

 The only circumstances which predispose a horse to this disease, 

 are : division of the oord too low down ; undue pulling on the cord, 

 as might happen during castration ; and adherence of the edge of 

 the scrotal wound to the end of the divided cord. The natural 

 tendency of the wounded surfaces of the scrotum will be to adhere 

 to the end of the cord, if the cord be left sufficiently long to permit 

 of such union taking place. If this adherence be prevented, the 

 cord will soon, by retracting, remove its wounded end beyond the 

 influence of outward irritation and conta;mination. 



TREATMENT. — Whenever practicable, no time should be lost 

 in attempting the complete removal of the tumour. In doing this, 

 the first operation, by being thoroughly radical, should of necessity 

 be the last. Success follows removal of the tumour, and subse- 

 quent antiseptic treatment locally and iodide of potassium 

 internally. In operating, the horse should be cast in the manner 

 described on page 652 et seq. ; put under chloroform ; placed on 

 his back; his hind legs drawn up by side lines as in castration, 

 and kept in this position by a bag full of straw propped up against 

 each side of him. 



Undoubtedly, torsion (p. 664) is the best method by which to 

 perform the operation of removal ; by it, we make certain of the 

 division taking place in the sound pa,rt of the oord, which being 

 free from the new formation of fibrous tissue, is not so tough as 

 the affected portion. 



Having secured the horse, begin by making a circular or oval 

 incision through the skin of the scrotum round the end of the 

 enlarged cord ; then carefully dissect away the skin until it is 

 entirely separated from the tumour. Although it is advisable to 

 do this as much as possible with the fingers (for torn blood-vessels 

 will not bleed as freely as clean-cut ones), but little progress can 

 be made in well-developed cases without a free use of the knife. 



