COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE VARIOUS MODES OF CASTRATION.
The process by simple excision, by reason of the hemorrhage which necessarily accompanies it, though not inevitably dangerous, must be excluded from the domain of general practice.
That of scraping the cord has not, so far as our knowledge extends, been sufficiently tested, either in European or American practice, to justify its recommendation.
The process of torsion below the epididymis is too much subject to the development of champignon, as well as that of free torsion with the hands, to be admitted by judicious operators, while the limited torsion is a method which has taken rank amongst safe operators, notwithstanding the enormous swelling of the parts by which it is commonly accompanied, and the necessity it involves of the introduction of the fingers into the wound to prevent its premature closing.
The method by the ecraseur, though occupying a longer time in its completion than some others, has secured very favorable results, especially in the hands of American operators.
The operation by cauterization is highly recommended by English veterinarians. We believe, contrary to the statements of French authors, that it is not widely in use on this Continent. The objections urged against it are that the hemostatic effect upon the cord is less reliable than in the method by the clamps or the ligature; that there is more or less danger of cauterizing the surrounding parts by the effect of the radiant heat from the cautery; and that the swelling which follows the operation is always excessively great.
Castration by the clamps is the best known and most extensively practised. It is easy and quick in its performance; performs the most certain hemostasis upon the artery, and notwithstanding some slight objections, merits a preference over all others. The principal objection alleged against it is that it is attended with great pain to the suffering patient when the pressure of the instrument upon the soft tissues is first felt. This is a doubtful question, and if this excessive amount of pain really exists, it certainly cannot be of long continuance, merely on account of the effect produced by the clamps themselves.
Of the various methods by ligature, that of the ligation of the cord with its envelopes is applicable to small animals only. That upon the cord alone is liable to be followed by hemorrhage, or by the excessive retraction of the cord into the abdominal cavity, drawing the ligature with it. That of the efferent canal, and of the cord by the subcutaneous mode are not admitted in general practice, while that of the artery alone has not been extensively performed on large animals, so far as we are informed, except by certain Massachusetts veterinarians.
The castration by double subcutaneous twisting, when extensively applied to solipeds, will probably prove to be the safest mode of all, and least likely to be followed by complications. We are not informed as to the extent to which it has been practised in this country, even amongst ruminants.