STRANGULATION OF THE INTESTINES. 371 
through with the fingers, and afterwards the left hand was in- 
troduced into the abdomen in a direction towards the pelvis. 
I experienced no difficulty in finding the band, which con- 
sisted of the vas deferens, and which formed a semicircular 
projection in the abdomen from the intestines passing behind 
it, or from below upwards as the steer lay on his side. 
It was drawn quite tight, and had produced strangulation 
of the intestines. I was soon enabled to liberate the intes- 
tines, after which I drew the vas deferens towards the open- 
ing in the muscles and divided it, excising a portion to the 
extent of about three or four inches. The part cut through 
retracted, and was left floating free in the abdomen. The 
operation was completed by passing some interrupted 
sutures of wide tape through the common integumerit only. 
After the animal w r as released, I gave him some aperient 
medicine, and ordered gruel to be administered at regular 
intervals. 
16th. — He has passed at faeces, and eaten a little hay. 
His pulse is rather more full, and the mucous membranes 
more injected than yesterday. He also walked sore and 
stiff. Repeat medicine. 
1 7th. — The mucous membranes are not so much injected. 
The pulse is 80 per minute, but soft. The bowels are 
relaxed. The animal moves freer from pain, and has a greater 
disposition to take food. 
19th. — Patient is convalescent. I may add, that the 
wound healed without any perceptible sw-elling or inter- 
ference with the adhesive process from the first. 
My father operated on a calf for this disease a little before 
last Christmas, and with perfect success. In this case he 
could not introduce his hand into the rectum to assist 
in forming his diagnosis. 
Many animals can be relieved by thus introducing 
the hand into the rectum, and rupturing, or rather setting 
free, the vas deferens. I have no doubt also that in some cases 
the intestines relieve themselves from the strangulation by 
either passing back again, or by the giving way of the 
vans deferens. 
I observe from my father’s case-book that in 1813 he 
relieved a tw r o-year-old steer, and in 1814 an old ox. 
Before I w r as a student at the College, I attended a post- 
mortem examination of an old Welch runt, which my father 
ordered to be killed, as the proprietor neglected sending 
soon enough for him to be of any service. In this case 
there were about six inches of the small intestines strangu- 
lated, and quite black in colour. 
