VENTRAL HERNIA IN A PONY. 
79 
wound looks healthy. The pressure of the truss was lessened, 
and Tinct. Myrrh. Co. applied to the wound to favour the 
suppurative action. 
13th. — There is but little alteration in the state of the animal 
to-day, except that the swelling has extended from the 
mamma to the sternum, and the faeces are rather hard. I 
dressed the wound as before, and gave in ball : 
Aloes Barb., 
P. Resin Plav., aa ^ij ; 
Hydr. Clilorid., gr. v. 
14th. — The medicine has had the desired effect, and all is 
progressing favorably. 
In a few days the swelling began to subside, when on 
taking off the truss, I found a free discharge of pus from the 
wound, but which was somewhat offensive. I therefore dressed 
the parts with Sol. Calcis Chlorin. Besides this purulent 
discharge, several small abscesses, about the size of walnuts, 
had formed in the immediate vicinity, which were freely opened 
and dressed with a digestive, when I again applied the truss, 
but in such a manner that the discharge could readily escape. 
In addition to the bran mashes and green feed, half a peck of 
oats per day was now allowed. Several smaller abscesses 
subsequently formed, which were treated in a similar manner 
to the others. On the 22d, the use of the truss was dis- 
continued, after which the orifices left by the evacuated pus 
were soon filled up by granulation. The suture passed 
through the abdominal muscles came gradually away ; the 
other sutures were detached on the twenty-first day succeed- 
ing the operation ; and in about ten days more the animal was 
perfectly recovered. 
It is worthy of note that the pony never moved during the 
operation, except when the last two sutures were passed 
through the skin, and then slight twitches only were ob- 
served. I also experienced little or no difficulty in prevent- 
ing the escape of the intestines, having no violent contrac- 
tion of the abdominal muscles to contend against, which 
doubtless is to be attributed to the effects of the chloroform. 
