440 
DIFFERENT METHODS OF CASTRATION. 
peritoneal inflammation must have commenced, but the quantity of 
blood taken from the horse clearly proves that he must nave been 
in a state of extreme plethora, or he. could not have stood the loss 
of nineteen quarts of blood in twenty-four hours. It was likewise 
evident that the horse was not in good condition at the time, for 
he voided great quantities of worms and the places where he had 
been bled, all six of them, instead of uniting by the first inten¬ 
tion, suppurated, and formed as many small abscesses. Our 
Fench brethren are often in the habit of applying leeches and 
cupping-glasses ; and I have no doubt that they may both in 
their turn be made use of. From their own account, cupping 
with very large glasses is a common practice with them, and 1 
must say, I cannot see why it should not prove so here. 
We are all of us, in our turn, equally likely to form erroneous 
opinions; and I am aware that having been the first to perform 
the operation, I, in some measure, am the more likely to have 
been led astray in my notions of it; yet I must conclude by saying, 
that I prefer it still to all others that I have practised, notwith¬ 
standing the following quotation from the elaborate French au¬ 
thor’s Dictionary. 
Castration, by the close operation, is more expeditious, and 
for this reason is, no doubt, preferred by a great many practition¬ 
ers. This method has its advantages as well as disadvantages. 
It is less painful, and does not expose the animal to a hernia, 
which is but of too frequent occurrence in well-bred horses, that 
are consequently irritable, and make violent efforts during the 
operation. It facilitates the placing of the clam well above the 
epididymis, a circumstance that is important, for pressure on it is 
almost sure to produce subsequent disease in the cord. On the 
other hand, this operation is more liable to be the cause of tetanus, 
and of peritoneal inflammation; and the substance of the cremaster 
muscle prevents the compression being made effectually. Never¬ 
theless, we find practitioners who, having operated in this manner, 
and without accident, upon thousands of horses, according to 
their assertions at least, do not hesitate to affirm, that castra¬ 
tion by the close operation is less dangerous, and merits the pre¬ 
eminence which their experience accords to it.” 
I have translated this passage literally, and when I reflect that it 
emanates from a most distinguished French writer, who .has can¬ 
vassed the opinions of the majority of French practitioners for his 
work on this, as well as other subjects, and that he rather inclines 
to the preference of this operation, I begin to feel my own favour¬ 
able opinion of it more and more confirmed, and attribute to my 
inexperience in the method of the operation those irnfortunate 
occurrences which happened to me in cases tliat I have related. 
