CASTRATION OF SOLIPEDS. 
479 
strangles or other constitutional troubles and if in doubt take 
the patient’s temperature. 
Do not operate during enzootics of tetanus, or in cases 
where the patient himself being well, is stabled with cases of 
strangles, influenza or typhoid, or in cases where the hygienic 
surroundings preclude a reasonable hope of recovery. See 
to it that you carry no taint on your person or your instru¬ 
ments, and here a word : 
Some years ago I had a run of bad luck, castration 
wounds healed badly, the discharges were profuse and ichor¬ 
ous, in some cases the patient had sharp attacks of limited 
peritonitis, and in one case the peritoneal inflammation was 
diffuse. I used antiseptics, was careful about the condition 
of my hands and nails, still the trouble continued, and at last 
1 found the cause, it was the chain of the ecraseur, 1 always 
washed it after operating, but one day 1 noticed between 
the links, and between the plates composing the links of the 
chain, some deposit of foreign matter. I think it took me an 
hour to clean that chain, but it paid ; the trouble ceased and 
now 1 see to it that this source of infection is absent anyhow. 
Caution the owner regarding the risk of casting- — 1 have a 
set formula. I say, “ It has been my good fortune to never 
injure an animal cast for this operation, but it is within the 
range of possibility that 1 may break this horse’s back, if you 
don’t care to assume the risk now is the time to say so.” 
Perhaps this is the place to give you my opinion about cas¬ 
tration standing—it is only an opinion, you must take it for 
what it is worth. I cannot consider it good surgery, the only 
rational claim for it being that it does away with the danger 
of casting— a risk so slight that I have put down nearly one 
thousand horses of all ages for this operation and have never in¬ 
jured one of them. When you weigh against this the dangers 
arising from undiscovered hernias, Irom undue traction on 
the cord, from cutting the cord too long, leaving its end to 
be embraced by the edges of the wound, and cause stiffness, 
or champignon; when you consider the difficulty encoun¬ 
tered in some young animals in getting down the testes, and 
retaining a hold on them long enough to ensure the incision 
