576 
A. B. M’CAPES. 
cleaned of any foecal matter adhering to the body and before 
being returned to the stable should have his stall well bedded 
with clean straw or hay. It is necessary to take these precautions 
to prevent the possibility of infection, either at the time of opera¬ 
tion or immediately afterwards. 
Some operators advise having the patient off feed several 
hours before the operation with the view of making the operation 
easier to perform. Long experience has proven to me that this 
is a serious mistake; instead of making the operation easier, it 
will many times make a more difficult case out of one which 
would have been easy had the horse been in a normal condition, 
as relating to the amount of food and fcecal matter in the bowels. 
When the bowels are full they hold normally (except in rare 
cases) the testicles against the abdominal wall at a point near 
the internal abdominal ring, so that they may easily be found by 
the operator. When the bowels are empty this pressure is re¬ 
moved and the testicles may float from their original position to 
such an extent that it will be difficult and in some cases impos¬ 
sible to find them without a radical operation. 
Abnormal Conditions. 
While cryptorchids must be considered as abnormal under 
all conditions, I wish to speak of three conditions which I am 
justified in considering especially so, since they occur in only 
about two per cent, of the cases: 
1. We find cystic tumors of varying sizes in connection with 
the testicle or spermatic cord. 
2. An indurated and hardened condition which causes the 
testicle to become from twice to at least six times the original 
size. 
3. (See specimen) Since these conditions can never be de¬ 
termined by the operator until he has located the spermatic cord 
and testicle, it is necessary that he should always have them in 
mind when operating. 
When difficulty is experienced in securing the testicle from 
the abdominal cavity, he should examine thoroughly and de- 
