CASTRATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 10 July 1890, Page 8

CASTRATION.

TO THE EDITOR

Sir,— You will much oblige if you will allow me to ventilate the above aubjeot, to which too little attention is given, both by horse-breeders and horse-buyers. Tom, Dick, or Harry, if for a few.yearß on a station, will unhesitatingly

"tackle" it, and generally manage to remove the glanda, but in Buch a manner that thickening of the cord follows in many instances. To perform the operation successfully the firs* thing to be done, after the teates are laid bare, is to cut away the cremaster musole, which is easily done with a sharp bistonry, and then procoed to the removal—which can be done either by means of the cautery, or torsidu, or ecraseur. The two latter cause lesa pain, and are preferable. By the toreidu operation no foreign matter ia left in tho cut, as is always the case in " firing," neither is there by the ecraseur, but its cost prevents its general adoption ; besides, useful instruments in the hands of foolhardy men are hurtful. The cause of the swelling of tho cord conse quent on the " outting " is entirely due to the " red hot iron" being employed by the unskilful hands that use it in dividing the cremaster musole—instead of the knifethereby setting up a kind of inflammation which usually ends in thiokening of the cord. To the animal, tho conßequenceß are not bo detrimental as tbe primary "visitation." With one slitquicker than thought—the agony of sometimes minutes is done away with. Which of the two methods is preferable, the old or the new ? In any necessary operation the motive and wish of every operator should be the accomplishment of the end with the least possible pain to the subject. There are many Biraple operations, if performed in good time, which might save the lives of numbers of valuable animals. If a plain description of how they can be performed will be of any benefit I shall be happy to give it in some future issue.— I am &c, N. Maiiqms, M.R.O.V.S. London. Timaru, July 1. P.S.—There ia another method of castration in vogue iv French circles—viz., "Thyrocautery" which, however, costs £15, and in tbe bands of tho usual run of colonials would be worse than useless. [We shall bo glad to hear from Mr Marquis as suggested.—Ed,]