SOLUTIONS or CONTINUITY. 741 



Simple lacerations of tlie lids commonly heal without any treat- 

 ment beyond mere cleanliness — a soft sponge and a httle clean 

 water. But the application of the pin or twisted suture, in con- 

 nection with antiseptic measures wiU. greatly promote cicatrization 

 by the first intention. Care must be taken to confine the animal's 

 head in such a manner as to prevent him from rubbing the wound 

 until cicatrization is weU established. 



C. — Defective Congenital Confoematigns. 



Under this head we shaU consider the deviation of the lids, 

 either outwardly or inwardly, from the convex lines of the cornea, 

 with which they should be parallel. A deviation in the growth 

 of the eyelashes, or cihse, is another annoying irregularity of the 

 same region. The outward deviation of the eyeUd is caUed ectro- 

 pion; the inward, entropion. The deviation of the eyelash is 

 known as trichiasis. 



1. Ectropion. — The two principal causes of this abnormal 

 condition are an excess of mucous membrane or deficiency of 

 skin. Again, the ectropion depending upon paralysis of the orbic- 

 ularis palpcebrum, is of a different nature. Ectropion occurs more 

 frequently in the lower than in the upper lid When depending 

 on a want of sMn, it is generally the result of a wound or a burn, 

 or possibly of an abscess, and is a cicatricial ectropion, in which 

 the retraction of the cicatricial tissue has carried the lid with it. 



Paralytic ectropion is the result of age, and is more or less 

 peculiar to old animals. It may also result from a diseased condi- 

 tion of the conjunctiva, or of some of the organs of the orbital 

 cavity. 



The treatment of a case of this afi'ection should be modified 

 by the nature of its cause. If it is due to excess in the mucous 

 membrane, the redundancy must be reduced. If caused by want 

 of cutaneous surface, the remedy must be applied to that surface. 

 If a hyphertrophied, mucous membrane is the trouble, astrin- 

 gents, caustics, and scarifications must be employed; or even the 

 removal of portions of the conjunctival mucous membrane, with 

 the scissors or the bistoury. If, on the contrary, the deformity 

 results from the condition of the skin, blepharoplasty or blepha- 

 rortapy must be resorted to. The simplest manner of operating 

 consists in amputating a V-shape portion of the eyelid and uniting 

 the edges with stitches. 



