OBSERVATIONS ON GELDING. 
213 
fire no more than necessary. I well remember that, w'hen seeing 
you castrating (and 1 was extremely anxious to see you perform 
that operation), no more was generally fired than the mouth 
of the artery. There is one small artery on the posterior part 
of the chord that cannot well be fired without touching a portion 
of the peritoneum. This small portion of it being touched with 
the iron suppurates; the rest of the divided portion gradually 
follov\s from that point where the cautery touches the peri¬ 
toneum upon the chord, and prevents the adhesive inflammation 
from ascending far upon it, in consequence of the suppurative 
process more or less taking place in a very short time after 
firing. So that I consider the practice of firing the divided sur¬ 
face of the chord safer than tying, or even than firing no more 
than the mouths of the arteries ; for if the least portion of 
peritoneum upon the chord be touched with the cautery, it forms 
a point for suppuration, and answers the object as well as the 
old plan of burning the chord like a cinder. 
I am aware that it may be argued that, by firing the points of 
the arteries a suppurative point is formed in the chord ; but the 
chord and the peritoneum covering it are distinct, and suppura¬ 
tion may take place extensively in the chord, as is sometimes the 
case in fistulous abscess of that part, without much affecting the 
peritoneum covering it. 
I consider the caustic clams as operating upon the same prin¬ 
ciple. The caustic burns the peritoneum and the chord ; suppu¬ 
ration immediately follows, the scrotum is left open while the 
clams are upon it, and allows the fluid to escape there which 
forms between the peritoneum and testicle, and in a great mea¬ 
sure prevents the swelling and discharge from being so abundant 
as in firing or tying the arteries. I do not mean to argue that 
bad consequences would always attend tying the arteries, or only 
firing the mouths of the two arteries of the chord ; but what I 
argue is this,—if a small poition of peritoneum is fired or burnt 
with caustic, the operation would be comparatively safer, as it 
cannot be denied that suppuration always follows castration, 
more or less, and the sooner the better; and inflammation of the 
peritoneum, to any extent, without suppuration, is always dan¬ 
gerous in gelding. 
If suppuration follows the operation of firing in two or three 
days, it must be safer than when prolonged to five or six days, 
as in tying the arteries. 
(i g 
VOL. vm. 
