BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 47 
This very difficulty is a reason why the animal should be rendered 
insensible before bleeding, not only on the score of humanity, but also 
on the score of avoiding the barbarous sights and sounds which so 
frequently disgrace our towns and villages. 
In Europe generally, and at the present time in our large slaugh- 
tering establishments, both in New England and at the West, the swine 
are always first rendered insensible by being stunned. They should 
be made insensible by a blow upon the head, directed, not between 
the eyes, but upon a spot in the middle of a line drawn across the 
* head three to four inches above the eyes. A long sharp knife should 
then be thrust deeply through the lower portion of the brisket, at a 
point just above the breast-bone, severing the large vessels leading 
from the heart. To facilitate this operation, the head should be 
drawn back by the hand holding the snout. The point of the knife 
after it has been thrust in should be swept about and made to cut 
more extensively in the deep parts than at the surface. This insures 
the thorough division of the blood-vessels and the most rapid and 
effectual bleeding of the animal. 
Small dogs, cats, and other diminutive animals, particularly if sick or 
in any way disabled, are humanely destroyed by means of chloroform. 
This substance should be administered by pouring from half an 
ounce to an ounce of it on to a sponge or folded flannel, placed within 
a thick cloth or towel, and applied over the mouth and nostrils. If 
the struggling is severe at first, the administration of the chloro- 
form may be made more gradual by removing the sponge or flannel, 
for a moment, altogether, and then reapplying it ; and, as the animal 
becomes quiet, it should be kept on closely and constantly, to the 
entire exclusion of the outward air, adding fresh chloroform from 
time to time until death occurs. The length of the operation will 
depend upon the size and condition of the animal, and the persistence 
with which the administration has been kept up. 
As a-protection against the struggles of the animal to free itself, 
the body may be placed in a sack or bag, allowing the head to 
protrude. Or a blanket may be thrown over the body, by which 
it may be grasped, while the head is left free for the application of 
the sponge. Or the animal, together with the saturated sponge, may 
be placed in a small box and allowed to go quietly to rest. 
