OPERATION FOR SCROTAL HERNIA OF THE PIG. 
379 
is passed round the whole of the cord and the cords (all of them) 
cut off short. The cord is now cut off as close as possible to the 
ligature, and the outer wound closed by interrupted suture, leav¬ 
ing but little room for drainage. 
I have never lost a pig castrated by this method. The cord 
is tied in two portions to prevent slipping off the ligature before 
the peritoneal surfaces are agglutinated, this accident being liable 
to occur unless a long stump is left. From the closure of the 
outside wound a considerable amount of exudation (ending in for* 
mation of connective tissue) occurs, and this is an admirable pre¬ 
ventive of further descent of the hernial sac. An abscess 
occasionally forms, but I leave it to take care of itself. In large 
pigs, where the hernia cannot be reduced, the operation is the 
same. The extra care must be taken to avoid including any in¬ 
testine in the sutures, and I find that large hernias are gradually 
reduced by nature after removal of the testicle (in these cases 
there is not only a very large inguinal ring, but rupture of the 
abdominal coverings, extending in some cases almost to the um¬ 
bilicus). What becomes of the ligatures*? From the experiments 
of Spiegelberg and Waldeyer, it would seem that in many cases, 
after cutting through the outer surface of the pedicle, they are at 
once encapsulated by approximation of the cut edges, and thus 
cease to cause irritation. This must often be the case in this 
operation, as there is frequently no apparent irritation, the wound 
in the scrotum healing quickly and permanently. The only 
portion of ligature in the peritoneal cavity is a small part of the 
silk tying the cord in segments, and here nature protects herself 
by a folding of peritoneum upon it, so that in twenty-four hours 
the peritoneal cavity is intact; the ligatures outside the perito¬ 
neum. A useful practical lesson may be learned from the 
method in which the peritoneum, so to speak, protects itself, i.e., 
that in spaying or rumenotony care should be taken to include 
the peritoneum in the stitches. 
