HEBNIA AND PB0LAPSU8 147 



either born witli the hernia or it appears soon afterwards. 

 The contents of the sac are usually the colon or caecum. The 

 mouth of the hernia is represented by the umbilical ring. On 

 the -whole, small umbilical hernias are of little consequence, 

 often disappearing voluntarily, the bowels becoming rapidly 

 too large to pass through the abdominal opening. For this 

 and other reasons this variety of hernia rarely incarcerates. 

 The treatment in younger animals should be an expectant 

 one unless the hernia is large. In older animals and in large 

 hernias of the young animal, operative measures are indi- 

 cated, as herniotomy (in the dog and colt, in the latter only 

 when the ligature or clamp has failed); in older and larger 

 animals the clamp or ligature are safest. 



Inguinal hernia : This may be looked upon as a danger- 

 ous hernia, as, by reason of its location, incarceration of a 

 descended intestinal loop quite frequently occurs. It is of 

 most interest in the horse, and productive of the symptoms 

 of an obstruction colic. The treatment consists in herniotomy. 

 After return of the intestinal loop into the abdomen the 

 animal is castrated by the covered method, the tunica 

 vaginalis being twisted several times around its axis. Now a 

 small and curved clamp is placed over the tunica vaginalis 

 and cord and placed as near to the inguinal opening as 

 possible. An important feature lies in leaving the clamp in 

 position as long as possible, in order to obtain .adhesions 

 between the cord and tunica vaginalis, thus preventing the 

 intestines from descending. 



Prolapsus. 



What is a prolapsus ? 



A protrusion of viscera into the external air, through 

 normal or abnormal openings of the body. 



