MEMOIR ON THE CASTRATION OF THE HORSE. 101 
be those that prove the most simple, the most easy, and the most 
ready, with the least risk of insuccess or danger. 
We recommend castration at the youngest possible age, in most 
cases during the sucking of the mother, and in no case later than a 
year or fifteen months old. And at this very early period of age 
we have good reasons for believing that the ligature is the prefer- 
able operation. With aged horses, in whom there is great thick- 
ness of cord, it is objectionable ; and this is the reason why it has 
been discarded from practice on young ones. It is simple and 
more readily applied than clams ; it is easier and much more cer- 
tain than torsion, tearing, scraping, ablation, or cauterization. It 
is less painful than crushing ; more efficacious than ligature exter- 
nally ; more simple and easy than internal ligature. Lastly, it has 
over twisting of the cord, at that age impracticable, every possible 
advantage. 
To cast and secure the foal, cut at one incision through all the 
coverings of the testicle ; with a waxed thread to make a ligature 
above the epididymis ; leaving the testicle hanging below it, to 
prevent the ligature slipping off. This is all that is commonly done. 
The only required precautions being, 
1. To make the incision large, to prevent an accident that may 
ensue from too rapid cicatrization. 
2. To draw the ligature quite tight. We employ the bleeding 
knot {nceud de la saignte ), or twisted suture, secured by other knots 
around the cord. 
Many practitioners, however — among whom we may reckon 
ourselves — prefer proceeding in a similar manner with covered 
testicles (a testicules couverts)*. Instead of completely denuding 
the testicle, they carefully cut through the skin, the dartos, and the 
cellular covering underneath this last, leaving unmutilated the 
tunica vaginalis, around which (instead of around the bare cord) 
is placed the ligature, a simple knot being sufficient for its reten- 
tion, taking care to make that as high as possible ; which may be 
rendered the more secure by arming one end of the thread with a 
needle, and passing this through the cord, immediately below the 
knot, around which it may be tied once or twice more, if required. 
This will prevent its slipping. The testicle is now removed, and 
the parts examined to ascertain if there be any haemorrhage. If so, 
another knot may be made, drawn still tighter!. 
* At a very early age the testicles are not in all subjects sufficiently de- 
veloped to admit of their being grasped while the animal is lying upon his 
back without a great deal of trouble. To remedy this, before casting pass a 
slip-knot around the testicles upon the outside of the scrotum, which will 
serve afterwards to draw them out. 
t Some castrators separate the testicle from the epididymis, and place 
the ligature around the cord, at the point of junction between the two 
VOL. XXIII. P 
