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DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
(a) For Temporary Relief in case of symptoms of intestinal 
occlusion or tumors, ulcers and other pathological growths, 
enterostomy is an operation that is open to discussion, and 
when the patient’s condition can be ameliorated by preventing 
the irritation caused by the passage of aliment over the diseased 
and highly sensitive portion, it should be selected as the means 
of giving temporary relief which may be an initiatory step 
toward a curative measure. 
{U) For Temporary Drainage. —In some instances it may 
be necessary to resort to enterostomy in order to establish 
drainage for a day or two in order to fix the intestine, following 
volvulus, to assist immediate union of accidental or surgical 
intestinal wounds, or in case of extreme distention following 
intestinal operations. 
(f) F° r Permanent Drainage. —Obstructions that cannot 
be removed require permanent drainage by forming an artificial 
anus ( enterostomy ). If the obstruction is located in the ante¬ 
rior or middle portion of the intestinal tract, the loss of chyle 
causes emaciation which is soon followed by death from inani¬ 
tion. When the opening is made in the jejunum or ileum the 
emaciation is very rapid, and the danger of prolapse of the in¬ 
testine through the artificial anus is increased, which makes it 
a procedure not practical in veterinary surgery, except when 
used for physiological experiments ; but, when the opening is 
in the great or floating colon the results are much more satis¬ 
factory. 
(d) For Curative Measures. —In ulcerations of the rectum 
the condition may be aggravated by the passage of faeces over 
the hyperaesthetic area involved by the ulcer, and in such cases 
the condition can be improved by the formation of an artificial 
anus. In case of distention of the colon caused by the loss of 
tonicity of the walls, the accumulation of faeces often cannot be 
prevented by medication or administration of enemas, and in 
such instances the only remedy is to relieve the colon of its 
function by forming an artificial anus at the anterior portion 
and allowing it to regain its tonicity. Volvulus of the sigmoid 
flexion is sometimes successfully treated in this manner ; in case 
of a recto-vesical fistula, enterostomy is indicated, and the false 
anus in such instances should be made in the floating colon, in 
order not to deprive the system of any of the physiological 
functions of the alimentary tract. 
(e) To Ward off Impending Death. —As a measure to ward 
off death, enterostomy is seldom adopted in veterinary practice, 
