REPORTS OF CASES. 
HERNIA.* 
By Dr. D. P. Malcom, New Hampton, la. 
In bringing this division of surgery before this meeting, it is 
not with the idea of enumerating the different kinds of hernias 
that may be found in the various domesticated animals, much 
less the various ways of operating. I will, therefore, confine 
my remarks to umbilical, inguinal and scrotal hernia, including 
the ways I operate. 
Umbilical hernia is congenital or acquired and is seen either 
at birth or very soon after, rarely happening in adult life. The 
tumor formed in this region is occasionally very large and is of 
semi-globular shape, soft and elastic to the touch. It consists of 
a sack, the wall of which is composed of skin and parietal peri¬ 
toneum which contains a portion of intestine or omentum, or 
both. 
Inguinal and scrotal hernia is the protrusion of the omentum 
or a loop of the intestine or both. In many cases there is a 
hereditary predisposition, particularly in the equine species, and 
in some cases it is undoubtedly congenital. It is very often de¬ 
veloped or increased by severe exertion. The method I have 
adopted for the operation of umbilical hernia is very simple and 
has in my practice proved safe and successful. The mode of 
procedure consists in securing the animal in the usual way as 
for castration. I use a clamp of my own design, which is made 
of two pieces of spring steel, one and one-fourth inches wide and 
ten inches long with two slots in each section of the clamp one- 
fourth inches wide and eight inches long, with a bolt and thumb 
screw at each end, one bolt being stationary and the other works 
on a hinge. The clamp is set on the hernia in the usual way, be¬ 
ing careful to have the hernia sack inclosed; the thumb screws 
are now set tight to hold the damn in place. I have two straight 
needles and a suture of No. 12 silk braid. Thread both needles 
with the same thread, then tie the ends of the th Uq together. 
* Presented to the Iowa Veterinary Association, Cedar Rapids, November, 19n. 
598 
