DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
209 
other small genera . In these operations it is necessary that 
the patient be kept quiet for some time after the operation, in 
order to get desirable results from them ; so it can be readily 
understood that there are great disadvantages to be overcome in 
restraining such animals as the horse, whose strength and con¬ 
formation make him a difficult animal to handle in a recum¬ 
bent position, and when necessity demands that he be kept 
quiet and in one position for some length of time ; besides, we 
know that such animals should not be kept in one recumbent 
position for more than five or six consecutive hours without ex¬ 
pecting additional injury or complications to follow. Every 
attempt of the patient to change his position, even when assisted, 
inflicts severe injury to the wound ; tearing the stitches, pull¬ 
ing the edges of the wound apart, and favoring infection. It is 
easy to comprehend why such operations as laparotomy and 
celiotomy are not more frequently performed by veterinarians; 
yet with all the disadvantages and contra-indications that can 
be enumerated against such surgical interference, there are, 
nevertheless, instances when such operations should not be 
avoided, even though the percentage of recovery is low. 
In the horse , the indications for abdominal surgery usually 
follow accidental wounds that penetrate the abdomen and in¬ 
jure some of the organs which it contains. These wounds re¬ 
quire surgical attention for the purpose of removing foreign 
substances which may be introduced into the wound at the 
time of the accident; to irrigate, cleanse and make the wound 
aseptic, or, to ascertain the extent of the wound, and to repair 
the damage done to the parts involved, and to establish drain¬ 
age ; besides, there are conditions that interfere with normal 
functions and .produce pain (celialgia and enteralgia) ; abscesses 
resulting from traumatisms; pathological and anatomical 
structures to be removed from the abdominal cavity, together 
with other conditions which are only revealed by opening the 
abdominal cavity (celiotomy), a procedure to which the veteri¬ 
narian seldom resorts. 
For the sake of convenience we shall divide the indications 
for abdominal surgery in domestic animals into two classes: 
i. Indications for abdominal surgery in which the cause of 
the condition requiring surgical attention can be determined 
without exploring the abdominal cavity; under this classifica¬ 
tion we will consider the following conditions common to the 
horse, viz.: 
(a) Punctures into the abdomen of runaway and unmanage- 
