CRIMEAN REMINISCENCES. 
29 
In very many of these cases the dorsal spines had become 
carious, having sinuses leading in every conceivable direction, 
with, in a few cases, such an accumulation of pus, as that 
when the abscesses were punctured, the poor brutes sank 
fainting to the ground. Such extensive suppurations could 
not but be attended with great weakness and prostration of 
the vital powers, which the comforts accessible to our patients 
but little mitigated ; in fact, the emaciation reached to such 
an extent, as to leave them in a condition not worth the ex- 
pense of treatment. Five or six of the spinous processes of 
the dorsal vertebrae, protruding one and a half or two inches 
above the surface edges of a gaping wound, filled with 
a sanious, offensive fluid, gave evidence of the extensive dis- 
organization of the contiguous parts. In animals of strong 
constitutions, such cases were to some degree manageable, 
by cleansing the wound entirely, removing the decayed parts, 
and injecting the sinuses w ith powerful stimulants, previously 
making dependent orifices and applying pressure, and adopt- 
ing systemic measures. Notw ithstanding our success in indi- 
vidual cases, the losses w r ere necessarily enormous, from the 
great weakness w T hich w T as nearly always associated with the 
malady. 
OPERATION UNDER CHLOROFORM. 
In the spring of the present year (1856) I, in conjunction 
with V.S. Moir, of the Land Transport Corps, Crimea, w hose 
case it w as, operated on an entire Bulgarian pony, which had 
an extensive scirrhous tumour, of the malignant variety, in 
the region of the testicles, incorporating itself with those 
glands, also the penis, and contiguous cellular tissue. As the 
unfortunate animal was unable to perform even the most 
ordinary progression with ease, from the situation, size, and 
weight of the tumour, we determined on its extirpation by 
the knife ; and, having chloroform in our possession, we 
thought it a good opportunity for experiment. All the requi- 
site preliminaries being arranged, w 7 e had the animal cast, 
and commenced the administration of the anaesthetic agent 
as follows : We laid the animaPs head on a piece of water- 
proof cloth so as to allow 7 us to envelop one nostril, leaving 
the other perfectly free. A convenient quantity of tow, 
saturated in chloroform, was applied to one nostril, evapora- 
tion being prevented by the waterproof cloth surrounding it ; 
and respiration w 7 as allowed to go on freely by the other nostril. 
Several saturations of the tow were requisite before any de- 
cided symptoms of the influence of the agent were manifested. 
