244 
EDITORIAL. 
animal is cast he must be placed well on his back, with the limbs 
perfectly vertical, “ (*) the head extended and the whole laryngeal 
region perfectly exposed. The hair having been clipped closely, 
the finger endeavors to feel for the cricoid cartilage or crico¬ 
thyroid ligament. This is a very difficult matter in animals 
which have the sterno thyroid muscle well developed; but if the 
head be slightly raised and the neck made less tense, the parts 
may perhaps be defined. As a surgical landmark, take the 
parotid edge of the inferior maxilla; a line drawn along this to 
the larynx is just opposite the crico thyroid ligament; fix and 
steady the part, and make a longitudinal incision through the skin 
exactly in the central line, and carry it as far as two inches. 
Next make an incision in the sterno thyroid muscle, tearing— 
rather than cutting—its fibres so as to avoid hemorrhage as much 
as possible. Observe that the incision in this muscle corresponds 
in size to that made in the skin. Some tissue, including fat, will 
now be felt covering the face of the larynx. The finger should 
carefully examine the part, making out well crico thyroid ligament, 
the cricoid cartilage and the crico tracheal ligament in turn; clear 
all the tissue away until the above ligaments and cartilage are ex¬ 
posed, but on no account open the larynx until all the hemor¬ 
rhage has stopped (tying or twisting small spirting vessels, with 
this object); for blood passing into the larynx is very obstructive 
to further work. The larynx is now opened by a longitudinal 
incision, extending from the thyroid cartilage to the trachea and 
the wound held apart by retractors.” 
This preliminary step is of the greatest importance, as it per¬ 
mits a positive diagnosis, by which it can be determined whether 
the roaring of the patient is due to laryngeal paralysis and amen¬ 
able to treatment. A number of patients are reported to have 
been relieved by this operation in England, and it will not be long 
on this side of the Atlantic, where the disease is quite common, 
before it is submitted to trial. But whatever may be the result 
as respects the roaring, a new field will have been discovered for 
veterinary surgery ; and in the words of Fleming, u it is now well 
(*) Veterinary Journal , July, 1888. 
