29 
with excellent results. The use of the elastic ligature in human sur¬ 
gery for the removal of the breast of an anhemic woman, suggested to 
him its use in Veterinary Medicine, and first he employed it to remove 
squirrous mammae of sluts, and large warts in horse and cattle. After¬ 
wards he applied it first to castrate several rams, and then an old 
stallion. 
The modus operandi for the stallion was as follows:—the animal 
being cast and secured in the usual way, was castrated by the covered 
method, the scrotum and dartos alone being incised, then a waxed fine 
twine is placed parallelly to each spermatic cord, both being afterwards 
surrounded by an elastic ligature made with a vulcanized India rubber 
tube of the size of a quill. Elongated as much as possible and twisted 
three times round the cord and the twine, this ligature was secured by 
a double knot, over which the twine is secured and also tied, and the 
animal is allowed to get up. Two hours later the testicles are of a 
dark purple color and moved up and down by spasmodic contractions 
of the cremaster—no colics. Forty-eight hours after the testicles are 
black, their substance soften and oozing through the envelops, the 
wounds have a very offensive odor; one of the testicles drops down 
while the animal takes an hour outdoor walk. Horse is dull, and when 
standing raises convulsively one of his legs now and then; the second 
testicle falls off the next day, (3d), much swelling of the sheath 
The wounds are antiseptically dressed, the swelling of the sheath, 
scarified and seventeen days after, the animal is in full convalescence. 
Similar results were obtained in the experiments upon the rams; the 
only positive unfavorable results were death in one ram by gangrene, 
and one by traumatic tetanus. 
The claims of this new mode of operation, are 1st. Less pain after 
the operation. 2d. Less difficulty in walking. 3d. No stretching of 
the cord. 4th. The wound is kept open. 5th. No chance of hernia. 
6th. Suppression of hemorrhage. 7 th. Diminution of chance of gan¬ 
grene and of peritonitis. 8th. No danger of laceration of the cord.. 
{Archives Veterinaires ). 
DIAGNOSIS OF PREGNANCY. 
In a clinical lecture delivered by Professor St. Cyr, this eminent 
veterinarian called the attention of his class to the beatings of the 
heart of the foetus as a means of recognizing the state of pregnancy in 
the domestic animals. After mentioning the history of the first dis¬ 
covery of this heart action in women by Mayor of Geneva, in 1818, 
then the mentioning of the same by Lafosse, and later by Lanzillotti, 
Buonsanti, Hollman and Saake, he describes the phenomena as follows: 
