LITHOTOMY. 
31 
feel the groove of the staff through the skin, and readily to cut 
down upon it : by extending my incision I was able to introduce 
at once my straight pair of forceps, and subsequently to pass them 
into the bladder. After searching about with the introduced ends 
of the forceps, and opening and shutting them some few times, I 
succeeded in clutching the calculus, and was using the force ne- 
cessary for its extraction, when, being of a soft fragile nature, it 
gave way under the gripe of the instrument, and broke into 
pieces — fragments I may say, for but few of them were large — 
of which three, each the size of a walnut, were one by one re- 
moved ; the remaining particles being, for the most part, washed 
out by a copious stream of tepid water thrown into the bladder 
by means of Read's syringe through a tube introduced in the 
place of the forceps, which had, of course, been withdrawn. 
The fracture of the stone into so many pieces, and the consequent 
difficulty there was in finding and grasping even its larger divi- 
sions, protracted the operation much beyond the time it other- 
wise would have occupied, rendering it both tedious to the ope- 
rator and harassing to the patient. 
On the horse rising from the bed, he walked to his box with 
apparent ease. Two hours afterwards he exhibited pain by paw- 
ing, which, after administering an anodyne draught and ab- 
stracting a small quantity of blood, was removed. At the time 
of staling, the water passed through the opening as well as through 
the urethra. 
The case proceeded favourably until the 25th September, when 
a considerable swelling took place, which commenced from the 
point of the shoulders, running on either side of the back to the 
tail, which was accompanied by much stiffness in motion and 
by great pain upon pressure. It was found necessary to bleed 
him again ; some opening medicine was given, and cold evapo- 
rating lotions were constantly applied to the parts. By perse- 
vering in this plan of treatment for a few days, the enlargement, 
the stiffness, and the pain, gradually subsided. No other un- 
pleasant symptom occurred, and on the 30th September the 
wound entirely healed. The horse is now perfectly recovered 
from the operation, but I am of opinion he is liable to a recur- 
rence of the disease. 
