VETERINARY SCHOOL AT ALFORT. 675 
Castration. — The possibility of the introduction of air into 
the abdomen by means of the tunica vaginalis has been con- 
sidered by some veterinary surgeons as a reason for preferring 
the covered way of castrating with the clams to that in which 
the vaginal tunic must necessarily be wounded. Two horses 
were operated upon according to the latter method in the course 
of the last year, and the air was heard to pass through the 
opening of this tunic with a very audible glou glou , after they 
got up. At every inspiration and expiration the same noise was 
repeated, and loud enough to be heard at a distance of ten paces. 
This continued nearly an hour, but the health of the animals 
was not in the slightest degree affected. In the preceding year 
two instances of the same kind occurred. 
Strangulated Hernia. — Two cases of this kind have 
come under our notice during the last year. In the first case 
M. Renault practised the mode of Herniotomie, described and 
recommended by M. Girard. He cut through and turned up the 
scrotum and the dartos muscle, and then penetrated with some 
precaution into the hernial sac, in which he found nearly two feet 
of intestine. He unravelled it, and caused it to be held by an 
assistant, while he divided the ring ; after which, and with 
greatly difficulty, he returned the whole into the abdomen. A 
clam was then applied on the cremaster muscle, and M. R. con- 
gratulated himself on the fortunate termination of the operation; 
when the animal making a sudden and violent plunge, the in- 
testine again escaped through the ring, separated or tore the 
fibres of the cremaster above the clam, and protruded quite as 
much as before. The intestine was returned once more, and the 
lips of the incision into the scrotum were held together by the 
continued suture ; but all hope had now fled, and the animal died 
a few days afterwards. 
As this accident might often occur after the operation for 
strangulated hernia, already surrounded with dangers sufficient ; 
and as it is not in the power of the surgeon to prevent it, M. 
Renault considered with himself, whether the strangulated her- 
nia being recent, and no great swelling having yet taken place, 
and a small portion of intestine being entangled in the ring, it 
might not be preferable to make an incision at the superior part 
of the flank, by the side of the hernia, and endeavour manually 
to return the intestine entangled in the ring, and more or less 
descended into the scrotum or sheath. Nothing then would re- 
main for treatment but a wound penetrating into the inferior 
part of the abdomen ; and the result of surgical experience is, 
that simple wounds, like this, may generally be successfully 
managed. It is true, that this method of reducing hernia has 
