184 W. E. B. MILLER. 
the operation before he can successfully perform it. After 
properly securing the victim, open the scrotum as in ordinary 
operations ; separate all the membranes until the opening to the 
inguinal canal is reached, then oil your hand with “olive oil,” 
or saturate it with a solution of bi-chloride of mercury and oil, 
and insert the hand within the scrotum ; press upward through 
the canal until the hand reaches the internal inguinal ring ; if 
this ring is not occluded entirely, as it generally is, and is suffi¬ 
ciently large to admit one or two fingers of the hand, you may 
be enabled to perform the operation without further manipula¬ 
tion; if however, you cannot do this, you will have more diffi¬ 
culty in securing the coveted prize. It will not do to break 
down or rupture the circular muscle of the internal ring, as it 
endangers and nearly always is followed by the entrance of 
the small intestine within the inguinal space, and a subse¬ 
quent hernia may result. You must, however, separate the 
muscular fibres longitudinally, as they diverge from the ring 
until you can insert your fingers within the abdominal cavity, 
then pass the fingers above and across the opening of the ring 
and grasp the gubernaculum testes, make gentle traction upon 
it and draw it up to the opening and into the inguinal canal, 
whence it can be readily brought down to the scrotal opening 
and removed. As soon as it is separated, allow the cord to re¬ 
tract into the canal to help fill up the space, and assist in pre¬ 
venting the intestines from coming into and down the canal. 
Cleanse the wound with a solution of bi-chloride of mercury or 
some other good antiseptic and let the patient rise. It is best 
to keep him quiet during the balance of the day on which you 
operate, after which he should have regular exercise. 
I have thus passed over, in a general way, most of the dif¬ 
ferent modes of operating, and the principal complications 
attending the same. 
I will now say a word relative to the performance of the 
operation with the animal in an upright position. When I first 
learned to castrate stock, I followed the example and teaching 
of my father, who did all that kind of work in his vicinity for fun 
