142 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



notice, and a fatal hemorrhage result. Znamensky lost a case in 

 this manner. Wherefore, careful attention should be paid to this 

 matter. 



I consider the best way to suture the muscular wall is to em- 

 ploy the continuous suture of silk and allow both ends to protrude 

 through either extremity of the wound in the skin, along with the 

 ends of the buried skin suture. At the end of seven or eight days 

 the stitches may be removed by pulling sharply on one of the pro- 

 truding ends with forceps. Permanent sutures, i. e., sutures which 

 are desired to remain permanently in the tissues, are capable of 

 giving rise to further trouble, hence it is always advisable to em- 

 ploy temporary ones. 



Divided muscle unites very readily by first intention, «'. e., by 

 adhesion of the cut edges through organization of inflammatory 

 serum by fibrin, provided the edges are brought into accurate ap- 

 proximation by sutures, and no suppurative process takes place in 

 the subcutaneous connective tissue to hinder. If reunion of the 

 divided muscle takes place with a minimum formation of connec- 

 tive tissue, the strength of the wall is little impaired, and the chances 

 of a resultant hernia are remote. 



The importance of securing accurate approximation of all di- 

 vided subcutaneous tissue cannot be overestimated. The formation 

 of spaces must be guarded against as much as possible, for, as has 

 already been pointed out, such spaces, if infected, form suitable 

 foci for suppuration. The reason why pus is so apt to form in 

 males is owing to the proximity of the penial mucosa, which is 

 so commonaly the seat of catarrhal disorder, and the ease with which 

 bacteria are carried thence by the tongue of the animal or by the 

 surgeon during the course of an operation. The wound made 

 when the penis is dislocated in order to reach the median line is 

 particularly prone to suppurate. The connective tissue in this 

 locality is deep, and when divided tends to form quite a cavity 

 under the sutured skin. Therefore, it is always a wise precaution 

 to draw the divided subcutis together with a few sutures whenever 

 any gaping is evident. For the skin by far the best suture is the 

 subcuticular, insuring, as it does, the utmost protection from in- 

 fection from without. Any of the non-absorbable material may 

 be used, as it is easily removed, but silk is to be preferred. 



The wound should be examined closely for the succeeding day 



