138 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



Gluck, in his experimental extirpation of the liver, found the 

 organ could be reached most conveniently by incising from the 

 ensiform process to the co^to-vertebral articulation of the eighth 

 rib, and resecting the eighth and ninth ribs. Griffiths, in his ex- 

 perimental surgery of the pelvic viscera, found he could expose 

 the latter to better advantage by dividing the symphysis pubis and 

 then separating both sacro-iliac synchondroses by forcibly turning 

 the iliac bones outward. The bones can be separated two inches 

 or more. 



The animal being secured in the proper position with hopples, 

 the skin in the immediate vicinity of the contemplated incision is 

 clipped or shaved of its hair and scrubbed with warm water and 

 soap. The incision is made with a sharp scalpel, and should not 

 be less than two inches in the smallest animals, while in the larger 

 breeds it may be found necessary to make the wound large enough 

 to admit the whole hand. To reach the cecum and kidney always 

 requires a large incision, owing to their remote position. The skin, 

 subcutaneous connective tissue and muscles are successively divided, 

 the fibers of the latter being separated according to the direction 

 in which their course runs. Three muscular coats require to be 

 divided in the extreme lateral position — the obliquus externus, the 

 obliquus internus, and the transversalis. In the median line there 

 are the aponeuroses of these muscles and a single true muscular 

 coat-r-the rectus. In the male prepubic median section is made by 

 incising the skin immediately to one side of the penis and dislo- 

 cating the latter — i. e., by pushing it in the opposite direction. In 

 making this incision one must avoid wounding the posterior epi- 

 gastric vein — a prominent vessel which runs on either side a short 

 distance from the penis. There is always slight hemorrhage in 

 this region. Section of the muscular wall can then be made in 

 the median line as in females. Froehner believes he can guard 

 against contact with urine and secure better prospect of healing 

 per primatn in males by making always a lateral incision about 

 one and one-half to two inches to one side of the linea alba, and 

 subsequently painting the surface of the wound with a solution 

 of iodiform in ether (20:100). Stoss opens the muscular wall by 

 thrusting a grooved director through at one commissure of the skin 

 incision, after making the latter, and passing it with the groove 

 uppermost in contact with the inner surface of the wall along a 



