ON THE SPAYING OF COWS. 
499 
greater part of it in such a manner, that it is held only by two 
peduncles, the one anteriorly and the other posteriorly. I now 
seize the anterior peduncle between the thumb and the index 
finger, and, by means of the nail of the thumb, I cut or scrape 
through the ligamentous portion, which is the hardest. When 
this portion is cut through, I give the ovary a half-turn, and, con¬ 
tinuing to work away with my nail, and pulling gently as I pro¬ 
ceed, I break through the peduncle. I proceed in the same 
manner with the posterior peduncle, with the precaution of not 
breaking it by twisting it too tightly. As soon as the ligament 
is sufficiently cut through, the rest easily yields. The operator, 
whose thumb-nail is too short or too weak to scrape through the 
ligamentous portion of these organs, may effect his purpose by 
means of a blunt-pointed bistoury. 
The ovaries being thus removed, I bring together the lips of 
the wound, and confine them by means of the interrupted suture. 
The incision into the abdomen must not be kept too long open, 
especially in cold weather. If any small arterial vessel should 
continue to bleed after the ovaries are separated, the hemorrhage 
must be stopped by means of the torsion forceps. The blood 
should be absorbed by means of sponge or lint, and the wound 
closed as quickly as possible. 
I have also practised the spaying of the cow in another way, 
which seems to deserve the attention of the veterinary surgeon, 
namely, destroying the action of the ovaries by the application 
of torsion to their vessels. 
After having penetrated through the layers of the suspensory 
ligaments of the ovary, immediately above that organ, as already 
described (having taken care not to make the opening larger than 
is necessary for the passage of the ovary), I twist it twice upon 
itself from left to right, with relation to the body of the animal. 
After that I press each of the peduncles of the ovary between 
my thumb and index finger, in order to diminish as much as 
possible the elasticity of the parts. That being done, I take the 
ovary thus twisted in my hand ; I raise it in order to reach about 
three fingers’ breadth above the layers of the ligament of the 
ovary : 1 seize them with the points of my fingers; then I pierce 
them anew with my middle finger; I introduce the ovary through 
them by a movement of the thumb, and one of my fingers seizes 
it on the opposite side, care being taken to draw it in a horizontal 
direction, in order not to enlarge the aperture too much. When 
one ovary is sufficiently entangled to be retained in its situation 
by its own proper weight, I operate in the same manner upon 
the other, and then close the opening into the flank in the way 
already described. 
