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TREATMENT OF STRANGULATED HERNIA. 
It is scarcely necessary to add that the strictest antisepsis must he 
observed, without which there is always danger of peritonitis, and closure 
occurs far less rapidly and certainly. The special precautions necessary 
will be mentioned in speaking of different ruptures. 
Finally, a radical cure may be effected by applying clams to the neck 
of the hernial sac, a method generally employed in umbilical herniae, 
which will, therefore, be described under that head. 
Treatment of strangulated herniae. It has already been stated that 
incarceration is always dangerous, and that treatment should at once be 
resorted to. The latter consists primarily of attempting reduction. 
For this purpose the animal should be placed so that the hernia is as 
elevated as possible, as the contents then tend to return to the abdominal 
cavity by their own weight. The restlessness of horses, and the 
tendency they have when cast to contract the abdominal muscles, often 
cause difficulty in reposition. To avoid this, anaesthesia should be 
produced, without which reposition cannot be effected in larger animals. 
In horses, chloroform, in dogs, morphine is usually employed. In oxen 
it is often preferable to slaughter the animal, because the use of 
chloroform may make the flesh unfit for consumption. 
It should be remembered that the obstruction always lies near the 
hernial ring, and therefore that any attempts at reduction must be 
directed to this point, pressure at the base of the hernial sac being mere 
waste of time. In extensive herniae, the sac is grasped with both hands, 
the points of the fingers lying near the hernial opening. Attempts are 
then made to diminish or return the contents lying immediately over it, 
and by gradually applied pressure, to get rid of the obstruction. Cold 
applications often have a favourable influence, and greatly assist in 
effecting taxis. In the large omnibus depots in Paris, where stallions 
are extensively employed and strangulated hernia correspondingly 
common, the employes have orders in such cases to keep a cold jet of 
water turned on the parts until the arrival of the veterinary surgeon. 
It is said that when so treated the majority of cases can be reduced by 
taxis. 
Where the bowel is thought to be twisted on the abdominal side of the 
ring, the sac should be moved sideways, so as to lift the twist and set 
free the bowel contents. This must be done slowly but continuously 
and in different directions, because it is impossible to tell exactly where 
the obstacle lies. A gurgling sound may then sometimes be heard, 
indicating the evacuation of the imprisoned intestine. Diminution of 
the swelling under the fingers is a still more favourable sign. Reduction 
may sometimes be favoured by an assistant passing his arm into the 
rectum and exercising very cautious traction on the affected portion of 
bowel. The greatest care is, however, required. Attempts should be 
