Alexandre François Augustin Liautard

“ When thus deprived of his virile functions the animal ceases, in effect, to exist as one of a species, but maintains an essentially individual life, in which the assimilable nutriment which he absorbs, instead of being in part appropriated to the office of reproduction of his kind, is all devoted to his own individual conservation. ”

“ THE METHOD BY THE CLAMPS.
This is an ancient mode of operating, having been transmitted to us through many ages. It has received the sanction of long practice, and, if not [40] absolutely superior to all others, is possessed of qualities and advantages which all who have employed it will freely acknowledge.
It is performed in two ways. One is the process of the covered, the other of the uncovered testicle. The covered operation is that in which only a portion of the testicular envelopes are divided, the scrotum and the dartos, the gland being left covered with the other envelopes. ”

“ Of all the operations pertaining to the domain of Veterinary Surgery, without doubt the practitioner is most frequently called upon to perform—more especially in breeding districts—that of castration, the destruction or removal of the essential organs of generation in our domesticated animals. ”

“ When it is considered, again, that by the traction of the cord the superior opening of the inguinal canal is necessarily [13-
15] dilated, and the formation of a hernia of castration is liable to take place, we submit the point to the intelligent judgment, whether, in the presence of these possibilities of extremely dangerous accidents, it does not become the duty of the veterinarian to prefer the mode of securing his patient in the supine position, both in his own behalf and that of his employer. ”

“ But if the diseased process extends within the inguinal canal, there will be need of great caution in dissecting the cord up to the healthy structure. In doing this the safer mode will be for the operator to treat the adhesions with the fingers or the blunt end of the scissors, rather than to employ the sharp edge of the bistoury with the accompanying danger of causing hemorrhage. If, on the contrary, the cord is diseased to an extent that renders it difficult to reach a healthy portion, other modes of operation—as by the ligature—become the wiser and more practicable indication. ”

“ We have already called attention to the difficulty [27] of the operation of free torsion, which requires a great deal of strength, and which, besides, may be accompanied by a serious inflammatory condition of the parts, through rough manipulations of the cord. It is for this reason that this mode of procedure must have been reserved for small animals, as, if performed upon the larger kinds, it can only be by men whose muscular force is sufficient to enable them to overcome and bring into subjection the struggling subjects of their operations. ”

“ In respect to the effect of the operation of spaying the cow upon the milk secretion, it is a fact well established that it not only increases the amount and duration of the flow, but also improves the quality of that valuable fluid, the spayed cow not only continuing the production from eighteen to twenty-four months, but giving a product far richer in the elements of nutrition. ”

“ In this method of castration the cord is twisted with sufficient force to cause it to break of itself at the point of the greatest violence. Its design is to accomplish the removal of the testicle without dragging or excessive traction upon the cord, and thus to avoid the hemorrhage following the torsion of the spermatic artery, as a mode of hemostasis sufficient to prevent the flow of blood attendant upon the rupture of the cord. The operation may be performed either above or below the epididymis, or may consist simply in the torsion of the artery alone. ”

“ Some portions of the preparations are, perhaps, of even greater importance, and may not, on any account, be overlooked, when we take into consideration the peculiar position in which the animal must frequently be secured in order effectually to control his movements. Hence, a low diet for twenty-four hours preceding that appointed for the operation, and an empty stomach at the time of castration, with a thorough washing of the sheath, are precautions which no surgeon entitled to the name will overlook or neglect, especially when a soliped [10] is to be subjected to the knife. ”

“ Tearing differs, then, from torsion only in the fact that after giving several twists to the cord in order to gather its fibres into a more compact mass, and to diminish the resistance of the more superficial layers, it is divided in its continuity by a violent traction upon its fibres in the direction of its length. ”

“ In other words, the male animal will tend to assume the characters of the female, in form and feature, the gelding, indeed, resembling the mare, not only in the ensemble of his appearance, but in his voice, which loses the resonance of the stallion’s, and his physiognomy, which becomes milder and less expressive ”

“ Bouley, an interval of several seconds should be suffered to elapse after each rotation of the wheel which moves the chain. If the tissues are divided too rapidly, the section of the artery is apt to be too clean, and a hemorrhage is likely to be the result. This objection, however, though made by one of the highest authorities in veterinary surgery, does not seem to be justified by the results obtained by American operators, most of whom both recommend and practice its execution as rapidly as possible; and according to their own statements, a serious hemorrhage is seldom encountered. ”

“ At the moment when the testicle forms an acute angle with the cord, the thumb of the left hand, resting upon the cord, comes into action to aid in the displacement by making a point d’appui upon the inferior extremity of the organ, which now occupies the superior position, in such a manner that the spermatic gland is placed parallel with the cord. The manipulations are completed by pushing the testicles upwards towards the inguinal ring, to break [64] up whatever adhesions of cellular tissue may remain. ”

“ The great length of the cord and the greater laxity of the cellular tissue situated between the dartos and the fibrous coat, render this operation much easier in the ruminants than in the solipeds. Simple in its manipulations, although still involving a certain degree of dexterity, and followed by comparatively no symptoms of reactive fever, the only instrument necessary for its performance is a piece of cord, twine, or rubber, sufficiently strong to secure the testicular envelopes when the gland has been subjected to the double displacement, and the cord to the torsion it has undergone. ”

“ By the clamps.—When the application of the clamps is resorted to, they may be similar to those used in ordinary castration, or may be curved in form (Fig. 25) . The animal to be operated on is to be thrown on either side according to which cord is affected, [96] and an incision made through the envelopes as nearly parallel with the median line of the body as the case permits, when the tumor and the cord are carefully dissected and separated from their adhesions. ”

“ The instant of the pressure of the clamp upon the cord is marked by very severe pain, and the suffering animal is excited to powerful struggling. It is important that the assistant should be aware of this, and he should be forewarned to refrain from pulling on the cord, and reminded, in order to avoid injury from this accident, to keep the clamps and the forceps steadily in contact with the inguinal canal. ”

“ The fact of the various and irregular flexuosities peculiar to the spermatic artery, with both ascending and descending portions, explains the necessity of including the entire arterial mass under the ligature, since, if only the simple cord of the artery were ligated, it might be an ascending portion only, and the amputation of the testicle might be followed by a troublesome hemorrhage from one of the descending loops. ”

“ At times the inflammation may extend to the sub-lumbar region, when the hand introduced into the rectum may discover in that locality an ovoid tumor or abscess which may be of great size. This form of champignon is incomparably the most serious of them all; an intense and persistent reactive fever is always present, and this at length terminates together the life and suffering of the animal. The abscess may sometimes open externally, and in some cases it may accumulate within the thickness of the cord and form large collections ”

“ It is to be considered, likewise, that the animal, on his feet, is free to struggle as violently as he wishes, and is thus exposed to the risk of the pulling and laceration of the spermatic cord, and a resulting predisposition to enlargements of that body and the formation of champignons. ”

“ It is not an unusual thing to find even these simple measures of caution overlooked by gelders, some of them even recommending that the animal should, immediately after the operation, be violently exercised—even put in harness and made to draw a wagon. It is true that a little and gentle exercise may be beneficial, with a view to the removal of the soreness and pain of the newly castrated animal; it must be admitted even that Professor Bouley recommends slow exercise to be carried to the extent of fatiguing the animal. ”

“ The simple tearing of the ovaries is not always sufficient, and may be sometimes followed by serious [136] hemorrhage. The scraping and the torsion are safer, and in some instances the ligature has been applied. The incision is closed with the interrupted or, which is preferable, the continued suture. No special after-treatment is required beyond low diet for a few days, with a little extra attention to cleanliness.
The operation may at times be rendered difficult by exceptional and accidental conditions, as, for example, the shortness of the fingers of the operator. ”

“ But there is probably, on this Continent at least, no better accredited authority, in this branch of surgery, than a gentleman, a layman, of Illinois, known very widely as Farmer Miles, who has for many years not only sustained an eminent repute in his specialty as a gelder, but I believe, has devoted a large share of study specially to the castration of ridglings. ”

“ It is recommended by some veterinarians, also, as soon as the animal is on his feet, to have him thoroughly rubbed and dried, lest, as is not uncommon, he should have perspired excessively during the operation. He may be warmly blanketed if he has been accustomed to a covering, or in any case, placed in a quiet stall and tied up. If quiet and unexcited, and exhibiting no immediate ill consequences of the operation, he may, after an interval, be allowed to go loose in a box stall. If there are any manifestations of pain, or colicky symptoms, walking exercise may be given. ”

“ The third class, according to our category, presents to our view two further operations, both of which are essentially bloodless and dispense with the incision of the bags, consisting of certain peculiar manipulations which insure the destruction of the testicular structure, and consequently of its secreting power. They comprehend the process of the crushing of the spermatic cord, and that of subcutaneous double twisting—the bistournage of the French. ”

“ Less common than prior to the practice of castration per vagina, it still is followed by fatal consequences when the entire peritoneum becomes diseased. Its appearance usually occurs from the third to the sixth day. There is suspension of the milky secretion, general dullness, chills, anorexia, suspension of rumination, rapid, small and thready pulse, sometimes painful respiration, rapid loss of flesh, and speedily—death. The indications of treatment are similar to those which are applicable to peritonitis in the solipeds, but the prognosis is always serious. ”

“ The second testicle is removed by the same process. If the testicles should slip from the grasp of the finger, the accident is of little account, as they will graft themselves upon the walls of the abdomen, and in time disappear by resolution. The operation is concluded by the closing of the wound by stitches of interrupted suture, and the healing usually takes place by first intention.
The operation is performed in the hen in the same manner as with the male bird, the ovaries being found in the lumbar region, from which they are removed by the same manipulations that are employed in caponing. ”

“ The skin and the dartos being divided, the edges of the wound separate, and the testicle, still pressed downwards and outwards with the left hand, protrudes more or less, still included, as it is, within its fibrous covering. A careful dissection, with a few light strokes of the bistoury, or laceration with the thumb nail of the hand, now suffices for the separation of the fibrous envelope from its external covering, an entire separation of both of which can thus be easily obtained by pressing the most external layer upwards through the laceration of the cellular coat which unites them. ”

“ If, on the contrary, it is a portion of the small intestines which becomes involved, the first indication is to restore it to its place by the proper taxis without delay, which may be readily done, the animal being yet down and placed under an anesthetic, by the rectal taxis combined with the necessary inguinal manipulations. When this has been accomplished the intestine is kept in place by the application of a clamp over the cord, upon which the fibrous coat of the cremaster has been carefully drawn. ”