92 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
heat, in a small darkened house by himself, and at night al¬ 
lowed to run in a yard adjoining the house. It was soon 
noticed that the mass was larger in the morning than at night. 
Sometimes at night the entire mass, including the testicle, 
would be drawn up into the abdominal cavity. 
1 was one day able to reduce the soft mass, at the same 
time holding thegland in place. The hernia was constantly be¬ 
coming larger; the stallion, though apparently desirous, only 
once could be persuaded to serve a mare. As he was a very 
promising colt and of rare good breeding, it seemed a great 
pity to perform the covered operation of castration. It was 
finally determined to perform, if possible, Halsted s*opeiation 
as practiced for the radical cure of hernia in man. 
The horse was led to Baltimore, a distance of twelve miles, 
on January 20th, and placed in a box stall in a livery stable 
yard preparatory to the operation. This location was secured 
as, in my opinion, the most favorable, on account of its good 
ventilation and isolation. 
The arrangements were finally completed for the operation 
and the animal was put on very light rations for thirty-six 
hours. Except that sterilized instruments and ligatures were 
employed, no attempt at antisepticism was made. 
The horse was cast and so bedded with straw as to make 
his rump several inches higher than his shoulders. 1 he hind 
leg on the affected side was removed from the hobble and, 
abducted and extended as much as possible, was held in posi¬ 
tion by means of a rope attached to a hobble around the 
ankle, passed over a hook and held by a groom. With the 
animal in this position the hernia could be thoroughly exam¬ 
ined and the exact size of the ring determined. The protrud¬ 
ing bowel returned to the cavity as soon as the animal was on 
his back, and the testicle could be distinctly felt. 
The operation .—The horse was anaesthetised with ether. 
One grain of morphia was administered hypodermically be¬ 
fore the administration of the anaesthetic. 
i. The skin incision, parallel to Pouparts ligament and 
♦Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, Yol. 1. No. 1., and ibid, Yol. 2, Surgical 
fasciculus No. 1. 
