CASTEATING. 665 



plied, and the non-vascular (the posterior) portion of the cord has 

 been divided with a knife, th'e testicle is simply twisted off by 

 means of a torsion forceps (Fig. 44, p. 124), specially made for the 

 purpose. If the operator be unprovided with this instrument, he 

 can catch hold of the uncovered testicle with his hand, and twist 

 it round and round, until the surrounding tissues, cords and vessels, 

 gradually give way. It is well to divide the nerve before applying 

 the torsion forceps, so as to save the animal from prolonged pain, 

 if he is not under the influence of chloroform. 



The great advantage of the torsion method, which is the one 1 

 prefer, is that it obviates nearly all possibility of bleeding, fre- 

 quently following castration by the hot iron and ecraseur, and is 

 naturally alarming to an inexperienced operator. 



The question of tetanus or scirrhous cord being more liable to 

 follow castration by one method than by another, is entirely one 

 of cleanliness during the operation, and of antiseptic treatment 

 (p. 67 et seq.) after it. 



4. THE COVERED OPERATION, which should be adopted only 

 when hernia is present, may be performed in the manner Professor 

 W. Williams recommends, by including the scrotum and its 

 contents in a strong wooden clam as close as possible to the belly, 

 and letting it remain on until the testicle sloughs off ; or remove 

 it with a knife after a couple of days. ' 



It is good practice to keep colts under cover for ten days after 

 castration. The scrotum should be bathed on the third day with 

 warm water, to which a suitable antiseptic (p. 67) has been added, 

 and the wound should be opened up with the finger to allow free 

 escape of any discharge. It is not necessary to do this more than 

 once, unless the scrotum and sheath are very much swollen, when 

 it may have to be repeated. If the animal is kept in a stable, he 

 should have a bed of clean straw to lie on, and not one of peat 

 moss, which is apt to harbour disease germs, such as those of 

 scirrhous cord. A liberal supply of soft diet, residence in a clean, 

 airy box, and judicious exercise greatly facilitate recovery. Horses 

 living in the open can be safely turned out immediately after the 

 operation. Casualties on account of this practice are rare. 



In districts where tetanus is common, it would, if practicable, be 

 well to render recently castrated horses immune to this disease by 

 ^ protective inoculation (p. 514). 



In castrating donkeys it is probably the best plan to ligature the 

 artery, which has a very rigid wall in these animals. 



Peritonitis (p. 114), bleeding (p. 114), scirrhous cord (p. 122), 

 and tetanus (p. 511) are the chief unfavourable resylts of cas- 

 tration, 



