688 
CASE OF UMBILICAL AND SCROTAL HERNIAS. 
By Andrew Cunningham, Y.S., Inverkeillor, N. B. 
On the 17th July, 1853, 1 was requested to see a thorough- 
bred foal, five months old, the property of Mr. Wm. Jamieson, 
Colliston Mains. On examination I found a large sac of 
integument hanging at the inferior part of the abdomen, with 
an opening through the umbilicus sufficient to admit four 
fingers, and also an enlargement of the scrotum ; making it 
evident that both umbilical and scrotal herniae were present. 
The owner being anxious that I should do something to 
reduce the herniae, I applied the common elastic bandage, 
which I generally use, and have always found to succeed in 
cases of umbilical hernia. Owing, however, to the foal being 
grazing at the time, I found it impossible to apply any kind 
of pad or bandage to the scrotum, with any prospect of its 
remaining in the proper place for sufficient length of time to 
be beneficial. I therefore resolved to leave the enlargement 
of the scrotum without any treatment until after the weaning 
of the foal. I repeatedly saw the animal through the months 
of August and September, and was told that it often 
exhibited symptoms of abdominal pain at times, but which 
soon passed off*. These paroxysms they ascribed to the effects 
of the bandage around the body, but 1 knew this could 
not be the cause, and gave it as my opinion that the pain 
arose from a portion of intestine becoming impacted and 
partially strangulated within the scrotum. I had an early 
opportunity of proving the correctness of this opinion, for on 
the 1st of November I was requested to see the foal, which 
was said to be suffering great pain, and on my visiting it I 
found all symptoms of enteritis present. On applying my hand 
to the scrotum, I ascertained that the swelling was quite hard, 
so large a quantity of intestine had passed into the cavity ; 
but by careful manipulations with the fingers, and the exer- 
cise of patience, l succeeded in emptying the scrotum of its 
contents, and in the course of twenty minutes all the violent 
pain had subsided. I then had a bandage put on, and the 
scrotum well fomented with cold water several times in the 
day, which was continued for a considerable time. I also 
ordered that the animal should be supplied with soft or 
succulent food. 
By January 1854, the umbilical hernia had completely 
disappeared, but the enlargement of the scrotum had gra- 
dually got worse, in spite of everything that was tried to 
