ACCIDENTS AND OPERATIONS.
(104.) Sheep being about as liable as other animals to a variety of
accidents, it is necessary that the shepherd should possess a competent
knowledge of the means which art affords for the remedy of those
mishaps. It is from a want of such knowledge that farmers are
frequently led to slaughter valuable sheep, though only labouring under
the effects of some commonplace disease or accident. If the animal is
attended by a professional person, an expense is sure to be incurred
nearly equal to the worth of the patient, and in so far as they
endeavour to obviate this, by killing the sheep, they are free from
blame; but why not rather contrive to save the cost of veterinary
attendance, by making themselves conversant with its diseases, and able
to prescribe for their own flocks, in which there can be no difficulty,
as the remedies are, in the majority of cases, few, simple, and of easy
application. In the surgical and medical management of flocks, much
mystery has, as in other matters, all along existed; but that fantastic
age is well nigh its close, and thanks to the spirit of candid inquiry
now abroad, we may hope ere long to boast of valuable information in
this department. The spread of correct ideas regarding the nature and
treatment of accidents and diseases, has from first to last been
prevented by the diffuseness of those who have written on the subject,
and by their so clothing it in a mass of verbiage, as to render
scarcely intelligible what would otherwise be easy of acquirement. To
obviate the liability to a similar charge, the following observations
are given as briefly as is consistent with a due regard to the
importance of the subject.
(105.) _Wounds._ All the wounds which can be inflicted may be
classed under the heads of incised, punctured, and lacerated.
An incised wound is one made by a cutting instrument, such as a knife
or a piece of glass.
Punctured wounds are those produced by sharp pointed bodies, such as
pins or thorns.
Lacerated wounds are those occasioned by blunt bodies, as the teeth of
the dog, tearing rather than cutting the flesh.
When a sheep has received any of these injuries, the following rules
ought to be attended to, and in the order here recommended:--
1st. Arrest the bleeding, if profuse, and likely to endanger life.
2d. Clip away the wool for a few inches around the injured part.
3d. Remove dirt or other foreign body from the wound.
4th. Bring the separated parts as nearly together as circumstances
will at the moment permit, and retain them there by suitable
apparatus.
(106.) _To stop Bleeding._ Bleeding will, if no large arteries are
divided, cease on the free exposure of the surface for a few minutes to
the air; but when a large vessel has been cut, more determined means
must be had recourse to. Pressure on the bleeding surface and its
neighbourhood will in many cases succeed, but this or any similar
method is far inferior to that of securing the open vessel by a thread.
To accomplish this, the mouth of the vein or artery must be slightly
drawn out from the contiguous surface, by means of a small hook, called
by surgeons a tenaculum, and easily procured from any blacksmith. While
the mouth of the vessel is thus held exposed, an assistant must
surround it with a noose of thread, which, on being secured with a
double knot, will effectually close it. The thread ought to be of white
silk, though any undyed thread, which is firm, round, and capable of
standing a pull, will answer the purpose. Care must be taken to place
the thread, before tying it, fairly behind the point of the tenaculum,
so as to avoid including the instrument within the ligature, a
circumstance which would lead to the slipping of the noose and failure
of the operation. The hook is now to be withdrawn, and one end of the
ligature cut off by scissars within a little of the noose. The
remaining threads are allowed to hang out of the wound, so as to admit
of their removal when they become loose, which does not, however, take
place till the termination of the first four days, and they are
frequently retained for a much longer period. At each time the wound is
dressed, after the fourth day, the ligatures should be _gently pulled_,
or, which is preferable, _twisted_, to disengage them, if at all loose,
so that the wound may be more speedily closed. Before proceeding to any
operation where bleeding is expected, the operator should provide
himself with a few well-waxed threads, each twelve inches long, so that
no delay may ensue on a division of large vessels.
(107.) _Removal of Extraneous Matter._ Dirt is best removed by washing
with a sponge or old linen rag and warm water. Other foreign bodies may
in general be extracted by the finger and thumb. In some cases,
however, it may be necessary to dilate or enlarge the wound with a
fine-edged knife, in order to facilitate the removal of substances
which, from their shape or situation, cannot be otherwise displaced.
(108.) _Closure of a Wound._ The last thing to be done is to bring the
edges of the wound into as accurate contact as the state of the parts
will at the moment permit, without, however, using any force. This,
with a little care, is readily accomplished, the only difficulty being
to retain them in the desired position. They may be held in contact
either by _stitches_, (sutures,) _plasters_, or _bandages_, or by a
union of the three. Stitches are only required when the wound gapes to
a considerable extent, as it will always do when running across a
muscle. They may be applied in the following manner. Transfix one side
of the wound with a curved needle (armed with a well waxed thread)
forcing the needle _from without_ obliquely towards the bottom of the
wound, then carry it through the opposite side _from within_, taking
care to bring it out about the same distance from the edge as that at
which it entered on the other margin. The needle must now be removed,
by cutting the threads close to its eye, and while the ends are allowed
to hang loose, the same operation should be repeated, at the distance
of an inch or an inch and a half from the first stitch, as often as the
length of the wound may render necessary. Your assistant will now bring
the sides of the wound together as accurately as possible, and retain
them there till you have tied the corresponding ends of the threads in
a double knot.
(109.) _Bandaging._ Adhesive plaster is in some instances of service,
but upon the whole ought rather to be dispensed with, being of
difficult application, and moreover tending to the accumulation of
filth and the discomfort of the animal. Nothing will be found to serve
the purpose of supporting the parts so well as a properly adjusted
bandage, which is useful in every instance, and sure to stay on if
sewed here and there to the fleece. The bandage should never be omitted
where the wound has any tendency to gape, as too great a strain upon
the stitches cannot but lead to delay in the healing process. In
bandaging a limb or part of a limb, commence _always at the foot_, and
proceed upwards; in other parts of the body begin where you find it
most convenient. Before applying a bandage to an injured surface, a
couple of pieces of old linen of cotton rag should be folded into pads
or compresses, and laid _one on each side of the cut_, and over these
the bandage should be rolled, evenly and with moderate and uniform
firmness. By this plan the separated surfaces are supported and
preserved in close juxtaposition, especially at the bottom of the
wound, a thing of some importance where the cavity is deep. Transverse
cuts of the limbs of sheep require more careful and more complicated
treatment than cuts in other parts, as there is a constant tendency of
the edges to retract. This retraction of the edges may be in some
degree obviated by the application of a splint, which may be made of a
slip of stiff leather (such as is used for saddle flaps) well wetted,
so as to be easily adapted to the form of the limb. It is intended to
impede the motion of the leg, which occasions the gaping of the wound,
and must therefore be made to pass over one or more joints as
circumstances may require. Tow must be laid along the surface (a sound
one if possible) on which the leather is to be placed, and a bandage
then rolled over it so as to make all secure.
(110.) _Clean cuts_, as every one knows, heal readily in a healthy
animal, seldom demanding above three dressings; lacerations, on the
other hand, require a longer period for their reparation, inasmuch as
the process which nature goes through is more complicated. In the
former, the parts are speedily glued together, so soon almost as in
contact, and the union is generally complete within the first
thirty-six hours. Not so, however, with the latter. Here the parts are
bruised, torn, and perhaps to a considerable extent awanting. Some of
the bruised portions may die, and are of course to be renewed. This is
a process requiring a great effort on the part of the vital powers,
which are often inadequate to the task, and on this account we ought,
when the injury is severe, to sacrifice the animal rather than run the
risk of its dying during the process of the attempted cure. To replace
the lost part, suppuration, or the formation of _matter_ commences;
while under cover of this, a crop of fleshy particles (granulations)
rise to fill the vacancy. Granulations are best promoted by warm
emollient applications, such as poultices of oatmeal, linseed-meal, or
barley-flour, which ought to be frequently renewed to prevent their
becoming cold or dry. When the granulations become too luxuriant, and
rise, as they are apt to do, above the level of the skin, the poultices
must be laid aside, the sore washed once or twice a-day with a
_solution_ of sulphate of copper (made by dissolving two or three
drachms of blue vitriol in an English pint of soft water), and covered
carefully over with a pledget of fine tow, spread with lard, or any
simple ointment, by which means, conjoined with cleanliness, a cure
will easily be accomplished.
(111.) _Punctured Wounds._ The orifice being small in these, and the
depth considerable, the sides are apt to adhere irregularly, and
prevent the free escape of matter, which is certain to collect at the
bottom. To avoid such occurrences, it is in many cases proper to
convert a punctured into an incised wound. When, from neglecting this,
the matter is denied an outlet, an incision must be made to allow it to
escape, otherwise much harm will ensue from its burrowing between the
different textures. Fomentations will also here be serviceable, and
should be preferred to poultices. To apply them, place well-boiled
meadow hay, when very hot and moist, within a fold of old blanket or
woollen cloth, and lay it on the injured parts, taking care to renew
the heat frequently, by dipping the bundle in the hot decoction.
(112.) _Bruises and Sprains._ These, unless severe, need not be
interfered with. When the shepherd, however, considers it necessary to
make any application, he cannot do better than foment the part for an
hour or so with meadow hay, in the same manner as recommended for
punctured wounds.
(113.) _Wounds of Joints._ Such wounds are highly dangerous and apt to
baffle the most experienced. _The grand object in every case, however,
where a cure is attempted, is to produce a speedy union of the wound,
as directed in_ (108) to (109). If the injury be extensive, the best
thing the farmer can do is to slaughter the animal.
(114.) _Poisoned Wounds._ It is said that sheep are sometimes bitten by
snakes, and strange stories are told of their milk being sucked by
these reptiles. In such a case but small dependence can be placed on
any inward treatment, beyond the administration of one or two full
doses of castor oil. If the bite can be discovered, the part should be
frequently fomented with a decoction of meadow hay and foxglove
(_fairy-cap_ of the Irish, and _bluidy-finger_ of the Scotch).
(115.) _Fractures._ If there be no wound of the soft parts, the bone
being simply broken, the treatment is extremely easy. Apply a piece of
wet leather, as recommended at (109), taking care to ease the limb when
swelling supervenes. When the swelling is considerable, and fever
present, you cannot do better than open a vein of the head or neck,
allowing a quantity of blood to escape, proportioned to the size and
condition of the animal and the urgency of the symptoms. The exhibition
of purgatives should never be neglected. Epsom salt, in one ounce
doses, given either as a gruel or a drench, will be found to answer the
purpose well. If the broken bones are kept steady, the cure will be
complete in from three weeks to a month, the process of reunion always
proceeding faster in a young than in an old sheep. Should the soft
parts be injured to any extent, or the ends of the bone protruding,
recovery is very uncertain, and it will become a question whether it
would not be better at once to convert the animal into mutton; indeed,
removal of portions of bone and amputation, of which some well known
writers on the surgery of the sheep speak so learnedly and confidently,
may be viewed, as, in this case, chimerical, if not absurd.
OPERATIONS.
(116.) _Cutting Lambs._ Polled sheep should be castrated about the
tenth day after birth, but the end of the fifth week is soon enough for
horned sheep, as early castration has always a tendency to spoil the
beauty of the horns. The risk is always in proportion to the age,
therefore no great length of time ought ever to elapse from the period
of birth to that of the operation. A large flock of ewes and lambs
should never be collected preparatory to cutting, as the latter, from
the excitement and crowding, are less likely to recover from the
operation. It is much better to take up a small number so soon as they
are ready. Instead of driving them about in attempts to secure them, it
will be safer to station a person at a division of the fold, who may
lay hold of them individually as they are made to pass through slowly.
The best method of cutting is to grasp the bag containing the testicles
with the left hand, so as to tighten the skin, and push them forward,
after which an incision may be made through the skin at the end of the
bag, large enough to permit the stones to pass. They may then be
removed either by cutting or tearing; the latter plan, however, is the
better, as there is little risk of bleeding, which is almost sure to
prove troublesome if the former be adopted. At this time a portion of
the tail ought to be removed, if it has not been done at an earlier
period, as a remedy for pinding. The bleeding will serve to lessen the
danger consequent on the previous operation. When all have been
operated on, the ewes may be allowed to find their lambs, and the whole
conducted _quietly_ to their pasture.
(117.) _Blood-letting._ In describing this operation, too much stress
is always laid on the importance of opening particular veins, or
divisions of a vein, in certain diseases. Such directions are
altogether unnecessary, as _it matters not from what part of the animal
the blood be drawn, provided it be taken quickly_. Nothing tends so
much to the recovery of an animal from a disease in which bleeding is
required, as the rapid flow of the blood from a large orifice. Little
_impression_ can be made on an acute disease by the slow removal of
even a large quantity of blood, as the organs have time to accommodate
themselves to the loss, which might, for any good it will do, as well
be dispensed with. Either bleed rapidly or not at all. The nearer the
commencement of an ailment, in which you employ bleeding, the operation
is resorted to, the greater the chance of its doing good; no time
ought, therefore, to be lost in using the lancet, when once it is known
to be required. Bleeding by nicking the under surface of the tail does
very well where no great deal of blood is required, but it is not to be
thought of if the veins of the face or neck can possibly be opened.
These are to be taken in preference to a vein on the leg, as they are
much more readily got at. The facial vein (_f.v._ Fig. 3. Pl. III.)
commences by small branches on the side of the face, and runs downwards
and backwards to the base of the jaw, where it may be felt within two
inches of the angle, or opposite the middle grinding tooth. It is here
that the orifice must be made, the thumb of the left hand being held
against the vein, so as to prevent the flow of blood towards the heart,
will make it _rise_. Some prefer opening the jugular vein (_j.v._ Fig.
3. P1.), which commences behind the eye and runs down the side of the
neck. This vessel is, however, more difficult to open than the former,
being better covered with wool, and not so easily exposed or made to
swell. _Stringing_ is the mode commonly resorted to for this end; that
is to say a cord is drawn tightly round the neck, close to the
shoulder, so as to stop the circulation through the vein, and render it
perceptible to the finger. A lancet is the instrument generally used in
bleeding, though a well-pointed pen knife will do at a pinch. The
opening must always be made obliquely, in the direction marked in the
cut; but before attempting this, the animal must be secured, by placing
it between the operator's legs, with its croup against a wall. The
selected vein is then fixed by the fingers of the operator's left hand,
so as to prevent it rolling or slipping before the lancet. Having
fairly entered the vein, the point of the instrument must be elevated,
at the same time that it is pushed a little forward, by which motion it
will be lifted from or cut its way out of the vein. _A prescribed
quantity of blood should never be drawn_, for the simple reason that
this can never be precisely stated. If the symptoms are urgent, as in
all likelihood they will, your best plan is not to stop the flow of
blood till the animal fall or is about to fall. When this occurs, run a
pin through the edges of the orifice, and finish by twisting round it a
lock of wool.
(118.) _Removal of Hydatids from within the head._ This animal, and the
symptoms which it causes, I have fully described at (169). Their
removal has been attempted in a variety of ways, but the simplest
method, and one most likely to succeed, is that followed in this
quarter. A couple of incisions, forming when completed the letter T,
are made in the integument covering the soft part of the bone under
which the hydatid is supposed to be. Two flaps are in this way marked
out, and are dissected back so as to expose the skull. The yielding
portion of the latter is then pared away, which brings the sac into
view. This will be seen alternately to sink and rise, following in this
respect the motions of the brain. A moderate-sized needle, slightly
curved and filled with thread, is now passed through the exposed
portion of the cyst, and the thread allowed to remain. The fluid is
thus permitted slowly to escape, and at the same time the sac becomes
collapsed, after which it is easily removed by pulling gently at the
thread with which it is connected. As good a hold should be taken with
the string as possible, and all the water should be allowed to flow out
before any attempt is made to extract the remains of the hydatid. To
conclude the operation, lay down the flaps of skin in their original
position, covering them with a small piece of folded linen smeared with
lard, and over all apply a cap. Never try to save the bone which you
cut, by turning it back in the form of a lid, for by so doing you will
only endanger the life of the animal, which is otherwise in little
jeopardy.
It will often happen that the hydatid, from being in the interior of
the brain, will not be brought into view by the removal of a portion of
the skull. In this case the brain must be punctured in order to reach
the sac and evacuate its contents.
When the skull above the eye is very thin, the disease may be at once
ended by cautiously thrusting a short, stout, sharp-pointed piece of
steel wire through the skin and bone down towards the centre of the
brain, taking care to pull the skin a little to one side before making
the puncture, so that on letting it loose the openings in the skull and
integument will not be opposite to one another. This plan is much
superior to that of thrusting a needle up the nostril, in the manner
devised by Mr Hogg, as in his way we are always poking in the dark, in
ignorance of the situation of the instrument, and are in all
probability doing so much injury to the delicate parts within the nose
as to preclude the possibility of recovery. Indeed, I some time ago
examined a head on which Mr Hogg's operation had been twice
unsuccessfully performed, and found traces of inflammation at the upper
part of the nostril severe enough of itself to have occasioned death.
The needle had not entered the brain, but the ethmoid was very much
injured. I believe the instrument is very seldom pushed more than half
way through the bone, at least it never reaches the hydatid, which
would appear to be destroyed rather by the inflammatory process which
follows the attempt, unfitting the brain for supplying it with the
secretions on which it lives, than by any direct injury done to it by
the needle.