342 
ADOLPH EICHHORN. 
The “ Double Neurectomy for Spavin,” as lias been reported 
by veterinarians of foreign countries, has been successful in 
about 90 io of cases, where all other treatment failed. This evi¬ 
dence ought to be enough to consider it worthy of a trial, and 
to make ourselves acquainted with the operation, which requires 
some skill and practice, but which will not prove an obstacle, 
as this is a gift to many of our American colleagues. It is cer¬ 
tainly advisable to try this operation on cadavers, thereby get¬ 
ting the exact course of the nerves, and enabling ourselves to 
be able to make as small an incision as possible on the living 
subject. 
After long and tedious investigations, Bosi came to the con¬ 
clusion that the deep branch of the u nervous peroneus ” plays 
an important part in the innervation of the hock joint, and this 
makes the conceivably bad results, following the tibial neurec¬ 
tomy alone. The operation, as Bosi recommends it, consists in 
the neurectomy of the nervous tibialis and the nervous peroneus 
at the same time, which, as he claims, will be followed by com¬ 
plete recovery in all cases of spavin, even in the most pro¬ 
nounced types, in a comparatively short time. 
I will try to give a clear and brief description of this opera¬ 
tion, referring to Major Schwendimann’s article on this subject 
in the Schweitzer Archiv fur Thierheilrunde , and which I will 
follow in both modes of operation and treatment. 
Modus operandi .—The horse is laid on the side on which 
the operation is to be performed, and the upper hind leg is 
drawn forward and secured to the corresponding front leg. The 
field of operation is then thoroughly washed with soap and 
water, disinfected and carefully shaved. After the animal is 
completely under anaesthesia, and a strong ligature applied 
around the leg, the operation for the neurectomy of the nervous 
tibialis may be begun. This large nerve is easily found on the 
inner side of the leg, about one hand from the point of the 
hock, and 3 cm. from the tendo-Achilles. It lies right under 
the terminal branch of the saphena artery and the plantar vein, 
imbedded in a loose fat cushion. An excellent point to be 
