CASTRATION OF THE STALLION. 
65 
noted specialist, Farmer Miles, has discovered a safe and humane 
method of operating upon ridglings, and has publicly demon¬ 
strated its entire success, not only throughout this country, but 
also England, Ireland and Scotland, I believe the veterinary pro¬ 
fession cannot do less than to acknowledge their indebtedness to 
an ingenious and skilful man for a valuable contribution to veter¬ 
inary surgery ; a contribution that prompted Mr. George Flem¬ 
ing, in the London Veterinarian , to make the graceful and frank 
avowal, “ that it had remained for an ‘ American farmer y to visit 
England and publicly demonstrate to British veterinary surgeons, 
what they had never dreamed of being successfully accomplished, 
the safe and scientific removal of the noil-apparent testicle of 
cryptorchides.” 
If I were asked to give a definition of the cryptorchide or 
ridgling horse, I should say it was an animal with one or both tes¬ 
ticles retained and concealed within the abdominal cavity (“ Ec- 
topiie of the testicles ” is the designation given them by Ciiau- 
veau), and within the limits of such a definition I do not include 
the testicles that may be retained in the constricted portions of 
. the tunica vaginalis , or that remain in any position external to the 
abdominal wall. To constitute a ridgling, the internal abdom¬ 
inal ring must be closed, “ hermetically sealed,” or, as Miles 
tersely expressed it, “ the door is locked and the key is lost.” 
Having under his instruction for some time successfully employed 
his method of operating upon ridglings, I can fully appreciate the 
delicate and patient manipulation necessary to accomplish a safe 
and certain passage through the abdominal wall, that enables us 
to possess ourselves of the coveted aud hidden gland ; and while I 
am not at liberty to describe the modus operandi of Miles, I be¬ 
lieve I am “ telling no tales out of school ” by undeceiving the 
profession in the opinion I find they generally entertain, that the 
testicles can be safely removed through the inguinal passage. In 
company with one of our graduates, Dr. S. S. Field, I sometime 
since met with a Mr. Adams, of New Tork -State, who claimed to 
be able to successfully operate upon ridgling horses through the 
inguinal passage, his mode of operating being to manipulate the 
testicle towards the “ internal inguinal ring ” with his right hand 
