304 
VENTRAL HERNIOTOMY. 
absence of adhesion. Either wooden clams (castrating clams) or the 
iron ones shown in figs. 124 and 125 may be used, and the process is the 
same as in umbilical hernia. 
Degive has used the following method extensively in cases of ventral 
and umbilical hernia. He first opens the hernial sac under antiseptic 
precautions, in order to break down any existing adhesions, and then 
transfixes the skin and edges of the hernial ring with pack needles about 
8 inches long. Above these he adjusts a clam, which is closed by means 
of a screw and firmly secured. The pack needles are then replaced by 
Fig. I 
Fig. 133.—Schema illustrating Degive’s operation for umbilical and ventral hernise. 
A, Serous ; B, musculo-aponeurotic, and C, cutaneous coats of the hernia; D, the 
special needle in place ; E E, clams; F F, nails. The three figures show the succes¬ 
sive stages of the operation. 
horse-shoe nails, the points of which are bent round. In about a week 
the necrotic tissue falls away, and recovery occurs even in severe cases 
in which previous treatment had failed. 
(3) Herniotomy. This only succeeds where the rupture is slit-like, 
and can be sutured. Jurgens reported several successes—in one the 
cow calved without any difficulty soon after operation; in another cow, 
showing symptoms of incarceration, Meyer sutured a recent ventral 
hernia in the neighbourhood of the udder. The colon and a convolution 
of the small intestine were replaced, and both the abdominal ring and 
the skin brought together. It is, however, often very difficult to suture 
tissues already saturated with blood and inflammatory products, and 
such treatment is much less successful in horse's than in cattle and 
carnivora. In old ventral herniae extensive adhesions often exist 
