ALTITUDE ON THE RESULTS OF SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 
659 
ered all integuments, peritoneum, etc. The beast made a strug¬ 
gle at this moment, all my assistants scampered off and left me 
alone. The beast rolled on her side, a great amount of intes¬ 
tines gushed out and fell among the grass. It was some little time 
before I could right things. I washed the exposed intestines, re¬ 
turned them. I next scarified the edges of the umbilical opening, 
stitched the skin, muscles, etc., dressed the outer wound with 
iodoform, absorbent cotton, oiled silk, etc., then applied the 
strong bandage, and allowed the beast to rise. I gave orders 
to feed sparingly with soft feed for five days, thinking at the 
same time the beast would be attacked with peritonitis and pos¬ 
sibly die after such bungling work. At the end of five davs I 
visited the patient, removed the bandages and found a wound 
healed by first intention, a perfectly clean surface without a parti¬ 
cle of pus. The beast recovered quickly and a strong smooth 
surface remained where at first there was a bunch as large as my 
two fists. Two weeks afterward I operated on two other colts 
on the same farm with similar success. Next colt I operated on 
was a filly for Dr. F. on the low lands. I used all antiseptic pre¬ 
cautions, for I had an M. D. to assist me ; I had more confidence 
in myself and in my assistants. At the expiration of five days 
I removed the dressing to find a mass of pus and the wound was 
not healed ; on the ninth day pus was yet to be found and on the 
fifteenth day the wound was healed and dry—that is, free from 
pus. Since then I have operated several times on both low and 
high lands and have had the same results every time. 
There is another class of cases which we meet with in our 
routine work and that is the case of u poll-evil ” and u fistulous 
withers.” Cases which I never wish to meet, but we must take 
the bitter with the sweet, and do the best we can. 
About June, 1895, Mr. Eyon bought a four-year-old colt for 
$15. The beast never was harnessed. It was strong and large, 
but he had fistulous withers of two years’ standing. Every quack 
in the country had tried his specifics or caustics. Turpentine, 
the skin of a frog and various other sure cures, but the beast 
got worse, and the owner sold it for $15. Mr. E. sent for me 
