URETHRAL CALCULUS—URETHROTOMY. 
248 
tail split open with a knife, the wounds filled with salt, and then bound 
up with tarred rags. 
I was told that they had not observed him to pass any water for 
several days. A glance at the suffering animal revealed to me an enor¬ 
mously distended abdomen. 
The peculiar, hollow appearance in the superior portion of both 
iliac regions, with the abrupt lateral distension of the abdomen, indi¬ 
cated to me that I had a case of ascites to deal with. 
Percussion and palpitation confirmed my diagnosis. I examined 
the urethra in the perineal region, and found that it was not distended 
with urine. 'Phis led me to remark that if he had urethral obstruction, 
the probability was that his bladder was ruptured. 
The animal was led from his stall into a barnyard supplied with a 
good bed of dry straw. I then made an opening, with a lancet, in the 
skin, in the inferior abdominal region, about three inches from the linea 
alba. Through this opening I pushed a trocar. After withdrawing the 
stillette the fluid came through the canula with great force. The first 
impression on my olfactories was that it had a urinous smell. 
The water was allowed to flow until about forty-five gallons had 
been drawn. 'The ox manifested symptoms of syncope; a bandage was 
gradually tightened around him, but he slowly sank to the ground. I 
then secured him for an operation, and administered a drench of milk 
and whiskey punch. 
I commenced by cutting down just in front of the scpotum, to and 
through the sheath of the penis. I then seized the penis with a pair of 
clamps that were lined with vulcanized rubber on their opposing sur¬ 
faces, and steadily pulled upon the penis until the retractor muscles 
were overcome, and the sigmoid flexures were straightened. 
I then passed a fine whalebone staff into the urethra until it met 
with an obstruction in one of the sigmoid flexures. This I cut down 
upon and removed. It proved to be a genuine calculus about the size 
of an ordinary marrowfat pea, though irregularly spherical, which had 
completely filled and obstructed the passage. 
The penis was then returned to its sheath, the incision in the skin 
sutured, and the ox allowed to rise, which he did quite well. The milk 
and whiskey punch was repeated, and an hour of rest and quiet allowed, 
when the trocar was again pushed into the abdominal cavity, and the 
.fluid allowed to run until fifteen gallons more were removed, making 
sixty gallons in all. 
I requested that an autopsy should be made in the event of his 
