698 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
When everything is ready, the animal is placed upon the 
table with its head toward the low end of the chute, and con¬ 
fined as described, and ansethetized with ether. The abdomen 
should be washed off with a i to 1000 sol. of corrosive subli¬ 
mate and dried with a little ether. An incision, about three 
inches in length, is made with a free hand, and not by nicks, in 
the median line below the navel, where the blood vessels are 
few in number, cut through the skin and fat down to the 
muscles. Sponge away the blood and stop all haemorrhage be¬ 
fore opening the abdominal cavity, by the use of catch-forceps. 
Next make a small opening through the muscle, and by intro¬ 
ducing the blunt point of your scissors, make the opening of the 
desired size; again stop all haemorrhage before opening the 
peritoneum. To open the peritoneum, it may be picked up by 
two forceps and nicked, or by a delicate tenaculum. Introduce 
a finger into the opening and with your scissors make the open¬ 
ing the desired size. Other things being equal, the short inci¬ 
sion is safer, but the opening should be large enough for easy 
manipulation. 
We now have a full view of the parts, and it is my practice 
to pick up the uterus and following it to the horns, place a 
sponge under it. (To one who has never performed the operation, 
and who cannot recognize the uterus, I would suggest that a 
probe be introduced into the vagina, which can easily be felt, 
and which will immediately put you on the right track.) 
Follow up the uterus in a forward and outward direction 
until the ovaries are found. These will be recognized by their 
color, as already described, and their hard set feeling also serves 
to identify them. 
These should be removed by the wire ecraseur or torn away 
with the thumb nail. 
If necessary the cavity should then be cleaned up, and the 
wound closed by sewing the muscular coat with catgut sutures 
(interrupted). The skin should be sewed with silk and dressed 
with collodion and cotton. The roller bandage is then put on 
and the eight string bandage adjusted over it. 
The wound should be dressed once daily, and the stitches 
removed on about the tenth day, during which period the pa¬ 
tient should be fed on a milk diet. 
SURGICAL ITKMS. 
The dreaded sequelae of tracheotomy which has for*years 
been a bugbear to veterinarians, have been reduced to the'mini- 
