496 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
recovery when such treatment is adopted. The indications for 
the operation may be any one of the following conditions, viz. : 
(«) Acute tympanites. 
(h) Chronic tympanites. 
(c) Overloading of the rumen. 
(d) Foreign bodies in the rumen. 
(a) Acute Tympanites caused by fermentation of the con¬ 
tents of the rumen, such as green fodder, green hay or clover, 
plants, leaves, potato stems, cabbage leaves and turnip leaves 
covered with dew or frost when eaten ; besides, the condition 
may arise from eating apples, potatoes, turnips, or radishes. 
The fermentation of the vegetable contents of the rumen will 
generate gas, and when it cannot be arrested tapping will give 
temporary relief ; but in such cases, the only radical method is 
to evacuate the rumen by the operation in question. 
(b) Chronic Tympanitis that is caused by the accumulation 
of indigestible matter in the rumen which interferes with the 
function of the organ, can be relieved by the operation ; but the 
periodic tympanitis which often accompanies chronic catarrh of 
the rumen cannot be cured by such surgical interference. 
(c) Overloading of the Rumen .—Animals that have been 
fed upon one kind of food, which accidentally get access 
to another kind will often overload their stomachs to such an 
extent that digestion is impossible ; the repeated attempts of 
the organism to perform its function is followed by the exhaus¬ 
tion of nerve force and the functional activity of the rumen is ar¬ 
rested ; in such instances the function of the rumen cannot be 
restored by stimulants, or medication of any kind, and the only 
resort is to evacuate it by surgical means. If the contents is 
not removed, inflammation of the rumen may follow, but-in 
some cases the patient may die of apoplexy or asphyxia. 
(d) Foreign Bodies in the Rumen. —The rumen is often the 
receptacle of foreign bodies taken in preference to food by ani¬ 
mals afflicted with an aberration of appetite (pica) common to 
ruminants ; blankets, articles of clothing, hair, dirt and other 
indigestible substances are found in the rumen, and when the 
presence of these objects interferes with digestion the condition 
of the patient can only be improved by the removal of the sub¬ 
stances that are the exciting cause of this functional disturb¬ 
ance, which in many cases can only be done by rumenotomy. 
Operation. —The first step to be taken is the selection of a 
suitable place to operate ; the next is to secure the patient prop¬ 
erly. The operation is generally performed in a standing posi- 
