338 
INJURIES TO THE RECTUM AND ANAL REGION. 
the condition. In such cases the adhesions must be broken down, taking 
care in males to protect the urethra and bladder, and in females the 
vagina. In males a catheter should be introduced into the urethra, in 
females the index finger of the left hand inserted in the vagina during 
operation. The first incision is then made, as above described, by either 
removing a piece of skin with scissors, or making a cross-shaped cut 
thiough the skin over the anus, and gradually thrusting a finger or probe 
into the depths until the lumen of the rectum is attained. The position 
of the probe or finger indicates the proper direction. 
In animals the trochar has been recommended for opening the 
occluded rectum, but the above method deserves preference. After 
discharge of faeces, an attempt should be made to suture the mucous 
membrane to the skin, and reunion may be prevented by frequently 
smearing the parts with oil. Clysters assist the bowels in acting for 
the first few days. 
Howard produced a colic fistula in a sucking pig with atresia recti. 
I he same operation has been practised in man, but being as a rule of no 
practical value, is now seldom adopted. Treatment of recto-vaginal 
fistula is described later. 
II.—INJURIES TO THE RECTUM AND ANAL 
REGION. 
Injuries to the rectum in mares and cows are often caused by the 
penis during the act of coition, while perforations result from incautious 
exploration of the rectum with the hand, and by the attempts sometimes 
made by laymen to remove blood from the mucous membrane of the 
rectum in order to cure colic. The incautious use of clyster syringes 
may produce wounds; and injuries are occasionally inflicted on the 
rectum by persons desiring to revenge themselves on the owner of the 
animal. 
Less frequently the rectum is ruptured by abnormally large and 
hard masses of faeces, but in mares and cows during parturition, 
injuries caused by the foetus, or by violent and awkward attempts 
at assistance, are very common, the colt’s feet sometimes penetrate 
the upper wall of the vagina or uterus, and the lower wall of 
the rectum. 
Finally, any hard substance accidentally consumed with the food 
may penetrate the mucous membrane of the rectum or anus, and 
produce proctitis. In dogs, animal or fish bones are a frequent cause. 
In a horse which had swallowed a large number of fir-needles, Kirchner 
found inflammation of the rectum caused by the needles penetrating 
the mucous membrane. Stockfletli removed from the anus of a cat a 
