CASTRATION OF CRYPTORCHIDS. 
109 
CASTRATION OF CRYPTORCHIDS (RIDGLINGS). 
By J. F. Butterfield, V. S., South Montrose, Pa. 
Read before the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania .State Veterinary Medical Associa¬ 
tion, March 8, 1899. 
The cryptorchid is a malformation in which the testicle, one 
or both, does not descend into the scrotum. It will be found 
inside the abdomen, detained in the inguinal canal, or descended 
to the flank or some obscure situation. The percentage of 
animals with this irregularity is quite small; probably not more 
than one-tenth of one per cent. In my experience, I have found 
it most prevalent in the horse, next in the pig, and quite rare in 
bovines, having seen but two, and they were flankers. It is 
quite important that ridgling horses be castrated, because they 
are more liable to become vicious than regular entire horses. 
It is not well to breed from them owing to the hereditary 
tendency. In Susquehanna County a horse of that character 
has been used for stock purposes for some years. Quite a per¬ 
centage of his colts were cryptorchids. 
It is only in comparatively recent years that ridgling castrat¬ 
ing has been attempted with any degiee of success. It is an oper- 
ation which requires an intimate anatomical knowledge of the 
parts, both theoretical and practical, especially practical. The 
operator should know the parts he comes in contact with from 
the sense of touch, which only comes from practice. He 
should be able to follow the natural course of the descent of the 
testicle in making the abdominal openings in the horse to detect 
the peritoneum when he comes in contact with it, to distinguish 
the testicle from a loop of the intestine, to separate the vas 
deferens from the ureters, and not make the sad mistake of re¬ 
moving a kidney for a testicle. He should be a natural me¬ 
chanic. He should have a cool head and a steady nerve, and 
be able to invent the best possible plan with the means at hand 
to overcome the difficulties he may meet, for he will not find it 
all clear sailing. 
I have never used anaesthetics in this operation, but would 
