CHOICE OF AN ANESTHETIC. 2$ 



couple of yards long — a piece of good plough line answers weH 

 —double it round the fetlock, and pass the loose ends through 

 the loop so formed ; flex the knee, and pass one cord to the 

 inside and the other to the outside under the fore arm, and 

 tie on the upper side of the metacarpal bone, as shown in the 

 illustration. The patient can then be placed in any convenient 

 position as required by circumstances." 



In exceptional cases a spreader (Fig. 4) is useful, this consisting 

 of a piece of iron with a curved piece and loops of rope at each 

 end ; it is tied near the hock and keeps the legs apart. It 

 can be improvised by an ordinary long twitch or broom handle 

 with a loop of rope on each extremity, or by putting a piece of 

 rope or. webbing just below the hock, passing it under the back, 

 and tying it tightly to the hock on opposite side (see Fig. 5). 



Value and Choice of an Anaesthetic— The cryptorchid opera- 

 tion in particular is one in which an anaesthetic should always be 

 used, as the operator can rarely tell with absolute certainty what 

 conditions he is going to meet with before making an incision 

 and exploration. On humane grounds the use of an anaesthetic 

 needs no defence, and on grounds of convenience to the operator 

 and increased safety to the patient it is also to be preferred. 

 It is very much easier to operate and antiseptic measures can 

 be more rigidly adopted when the patient is, lying still, than 

 when struggling is continually taking place. It is a precaution, 

 too, of extra safety for the animal, as^ if the abdomen has to be 

 entered the struggles are apt to eject a portion o£ omentum or 

 intestine, whereas if an anaesthetic is used this is, not nearly so 

 liable to take place. 



Chloral is sometimes used, from half an ounce to an ounce 

 in mucilage being injected per rectum about an hour before- 

 hand, or morphia (five to ten grains) may be given sub- 

 cutaneously. 



Cocaine, ^ subcutaneously injected, answers well for the skin 

 and parts involved when the testis happens to be superficially 

 situated, but chloroform is undoubtedly the best for all general 

 purposes. When, the patient is under its influence the operator 



