662 OPERATIONS. 



hernia, the presence of which will permit only of the covered opera- 

 tion being performed. 



As a horse, during the time the sheath is swollen from the effects 

 of castration, may have difficulty in " drawing his yard " to stale ; 

 it is well before the operation and after the horse has been cast, 

 to insert one's hand into the sheath, clean it out with warm water, 

 and freely anoint the inside of the sheath and penis with vaseline 

 or sweet oil. 



METHODS OF CASTRATING.— Those in ordinary use are as 

 follows : — 



1. By the ecraseur (Fig. 113, p. 287). The animal should be 

 on his left side so as to allow the operator freedom to use his right 

 hand. It is well to have a spare chain for the ecraseur. 



If hobbles are used, the horse should be thrown on his left side, 

 and his off hind leg should be drawn forward in the manner shown 

 in Fig. 168 (p. 659). The left testicle is taken in the left hand, 

 and its base is squeezed, between the thumb and finger, so as to 

 tighten the skin over it. If there be difficulty in catching hold of 

 the testicle, the right hand m'ay be used to aid the left. French 

 veterinary surgeons advise that, in such a case, an assistant should 

 lightly tap the muzzle of the horse with a switch or whip, so as 

 to distract his attention, or he might' be put slightly under the 

 influence of chloroform. To overcome the action of the cremaster 

 muscle, push the testicle forward, but do not draw it back. The 

 left testicle being held in the left hand, fingers pointing to the 

 rear, the operator should make, with a sharp and suitable knife, a 

 bold cut, parallel to the middle line, of about four inches in length, 

 through the skin and coverings of the testicle, which ought to 

 spring out through the opening thus effected. While making the 

 cut, the operator can steady his hand by keeping the tip of the 

 thumb on the testicle. If the incision does not prove deep or long 

 enough, a second or third one may be made. The cut should be 

 well forward, and as close as possible to the sheath without injuring 

 it, so that any subsequent discharge may readily drain off. It does 

 not very much signify if the testicle be wounded. The testicle in 

 its natural state is covered by skin and an inner coat (peritoneum), 

 the surface of which, next the testicle, is smooth and glistening, 

 as it is a serous membrane. This serous pouch in which the 

 testicle lies, contains, in health, a greater or less quantity of 

 watery fluid, which may squirt out when the incision is made. 

 We may find, as a result of previous inflammation, the testicle 

 adhering to its covering of peritoneum, which in such a case will 

 have lost its serous character, and become fibrous. If, on opening 

 the scrotum, hernia be observed to be present, the covered opera- 



