July 1, 1902.] 
Supplement to the " Tropical Atjriculiarist,^' 
11 
jirior to the operation. And not only tliis, but, 
mirabile dictu tliey were able to persuade the 
owners that such was tlie case., while our reputa- 
tion ^\•as hanging in the balance, and we weie 
anathemnliii'd as having caused the death of the 
renl -payer of the farmer or the pride of the 
widow. Indeed, not so long ago we saw it report- 
ed thiit tlie caufe of death in one case that 
succumbed wus the attempted swallowing of the 
te.^tiele that was h. It in the animal's stall ! ! 
One would imagine that some great surgical skill 
was required in (lie operation if we consult recent 
woikson veterinary surgery. la a work recently 
issued we find no less tlian tliirty-nine pages 
devoted to this fijieration, c.iCfprent methods being 
t,'iven, .and [ilatt^ of itistniraents, and some imple- 
"luents behmgini;- to a f('rnier age. For such a 
simple i)].e:ai.i.in i! is ^utriising how much space 
is cccLiiiied, ami \\hat ii number of barbarous 
methods are descrilied. We beg to assert, however, 
that a si m.Vjnt would learn everything about the 
op.-ratifin after asr-isting a practitioner of modern 
views, aiid that he raight read the descriptions 
given iu the tliirty-nine pages ad nauseam, and 
be totally unfit to castrate even a donkey. 
Let us for a moment inquire into the essentials 
of the operatio)!. In normal cases the proper 
securing otvtliespermatic artery, in order to prevent 
htemorrliage, and the after-treatment, which 
consist in measures for the prevention of septic 
peritonitis and tetanus, comprise the important 
details. 
That the operation, by whatever method em- 
ployed, is a simpleone, is apparent when we consider 
thehirge numl'erof animals mutilated by empirics, 
and the small percentage of fatal results. As 
regards fatal results and untoward complications, 
tile element of chance enters very largely. 
Soinetime-t even with the greatest e:ire a fatal 
result will occur, and no one is to blame. Again, 
we find that, as a rule, cases do better when on 
giuss every day thau under the best hygienic 
surrr undings and surgical care iu town, of course 
providt d the weather is .suitable. 
As to the method of operation, modern practi- 
tioners }irefer one on surgical liaes. Certainly the 
antiquated cli'.m and the hot iron are not in 
accori'.ance with modern surgical ideas, in sjiite of 
the dogmatic assertions of those who pin their 
iaith 0:^ ancient methods. The method by torsion 
and that, by ligature are both ^^cientiftc and su'-gical, 
and our experience of tlie former leads us to state 
that it is perfectly safe and expeditious. We do 
not, hc;wever, agree with the illustrations given of 
this method iu modern text-hooks, as it is e?-antial 
to a;)p;y tlie torsion forceps as close as possible to 
the suvface of the clamp, in order to operate in 
as shoit a time as possible, aud to avoid leaving a 
qnnuti y of bruised tissue behind. Some of tlie 
iuslriiraents illustrated in works on veterinary 
' suivcry are exceedingly crude for this operation. 
T ie liot iron and the clam have a strange fascina- 
tion for many practitionervS. These bubarous me- 
tho M ;.re adopted by the travelling cistrators, we 
prf - are, in consequence of a sujjerstitious belief in 
the efticicy audinthe simplicity of their mauipu- 
lat!.' \. The qualified man, however, should not 
be i ifluenced by sucli considerations. 
It has been stated that the results of the ho* 
iron are more favourable than tho^e by other 
methods; but we would like to inquire how sucli 
results are arrived at, as we are not going to accept 
the ipse dixit of the individual on the matter, or 
draw cou'dusions from his results of the different 
metliods of 0])erating. 
The devotee of antiquated surgical methods 
resents violently if his deductiorjs am! handiwork 
are criticised ; but as " old customs die iiard," we 
are not surprised at this. 
Veterinary surgery is bound to progress with 
the times, and not lag heliind to follow in the 
trail of human surgery. As an example, we may 
mention the employment of chloroform, which, 
although by no means as largely used in veterinary 
surgery as it should be, still, aided by the humane 
owners of anim^ils, its use is becoming more 
general. We take it as a sign of the times when 
owners of animals insist on the employment of 
an£B-;thetics, but we do not consider it altogether 
to the credit of the profession that such a request 
should be nece.-sary. 
With regard to castration, we were told more 
than once during a long paper discussion that 
it would be impossible to carry out anaesthesia, 
and the most trivial excuses were put forward. 
What was the result? Every excuse that was 
meutioned was proved to be imaginary, and any 
one who has operated with the patient under 
chloroform will continue to use it. Prejudice 
and a want of practical knowledge of the employ- 
ment of ai'festhetics are the real causes for their 
use not being general. Solong as prejudice exists, 
a waiit of knowledge is sure to continue, with its 
attendant train of erroneous ideas. 
A long experience of the metiiod of castration by 
torsion enables us to draw attention to some im- 
portant details in connection with the operation. 
We do not claim that no unfortunate sequelae 
follow this method: as we have already remarked, 
the element of chance etiters largely into the 
results, no matter what method be adopted. No 
doubt the condition of the animal has a great deal 
to do with the result^; if his constitution be sound 
and fit, he has a far better chance of doing better 
than utuler the opposite circumstances. After all 
it is simply a question of the healing of the end 
of the spermatic cord and of the operation wounds; 
and, just as in wounds of other regions, if the 
animal's constitution be unhealthy or out of condi- 
tion, and if ti e surr junditigs are unfavourable, we 
cannot expect satisfactory results. 
Aseptic castration we look upon as impossible 
under existing circumstances aud conditions. No 
doubt attempts may be mide to bring about such 
a fortunate state of affairs by those who are not 
engaged in th j routi le of daily practice ; descrip- 
tion^ of the attempts also serve to embellish the 
chaj)ter on castration in works ou modern 
veterinary surgery. 
Wiiile ve Ci'.a never hope to perform thi? opera- 
tion under conditions similar to those in human 
surgery, and with the same results, still we must 
as f ir as possible pay attention to antisepsis and 
surgical cleanliness. We can at least have our 
iustrumeuts aseptic by taking the precaution of 
placing them iu boiling water ; we cau also have 
