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ANIMAL
CASTRATION.
BY
A. LIAUTARD, M.D., H.F.R.C.V.S.,
Professor of Anatomy, Operative Surgery and Sanitary Medicine to the
American Veterinary College, New York,
Foreign Corresponding Member of the Société Centrale de Médecine
Vétérinaire, Paris,
Member of the Société Vétérinaire d’Alsace-Lorraine,
Member of the Société Vétérinaire Pratique, Paris,
Member of the U. S. Veterinary Medical Association,
Etc., etc.
With Forty-four Plates embodied in the Text.
[Illustration]
NEW YORK
WILLIAM R. JENKINS
VETERINARY PUBLISHER AND BOOKSELLER
850 SIXTH AVENUE
LONDON: BALLIÈRE, TINDALL & COX
1884
Copyright, 1884.
W. R. JENKINS.
PRESS OF W. R. JENKINS,
860 SIXTH AVE., N. Y.
TO
HENRY BOULEY,
MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF PARIS,
This little practical work is respectfully dedicated in testimony of the
continued esteem and respectful remembrance of one who was fortunate in
being numbered among his former students, by
THE AUTHOR.
INTRODUCTION.
In presenting this concise treatise upon castration of the domestic
animals, it is not intended to offer new modes of operation, but merely
to collect together the various methods in use and leave the reader to
appreciate them at their value. It is a work which, it is believed, has
not yet been done in English veterinary literature, and on this account
it is hoped will prove of interest and use to those engaged in that
specialty of veterinary surgery.
In gathering the material, advantage has been taken of several of the
most recent works of French and German writers on the subject, and
plates have been obtained from the original and excellent wood cuts of
Zundel, and Peuch, and Toussaint.
In presenting this volume to the indulgence of veterinarians, it is with
pleasure that the author acknowledges and offers his sincere thanks to
Dr. Holt for the great assistance he has kindly given in revising the
manuscript.
THE AUTHOR.
ANIMAL CASTRATION.
ANIMAL CASTRATION.
CHAPTER I.
DEFINITION -- ITS VARIOUS PURPOSES -- AN OLD OPERATION -- ITS HISTORY
-- CASTRATION OF NECESSITY -- CASTRATION OF FASHION AND CONVENIENCE --
ITS EFFECTS -- UPON THE GENERAL ORGANISM -- UPON SOME SPECIAL FUNCTION
-- UPON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ANIMAL -- AGE AT WHICH IT OUGHT TO BE
PERFORMED -- SEASON MOST FAVORABLE -- PREPARATION OF THE PATIENT --
MODES OF RESTRAINT -- CASTING -- STANDING UP -- ANATOMY OF THE PARTS.
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. It is, however, not nearly so often resorted to
for purely surgical reasons as for purposes closely related to questions
of agricultural and industrial economy, by reason of its effect upon the
individuals of the various species of animals subjected to it, in order
to improve their value and increase their usefulness to mankind. And
that this is its practical effect is no modern discovery. As far back in
antiquity as seven centuries preceding the Christian era, it was known
and practised upon various animals. Of this we may find ample historical
proof in the writings of Roman, Greek, and Oriental authors, where
specific mention appears of the various methods employed, including the
processes of excision, of crushing and of tearing. Even the castration
of females was known to our less remote ancestors, the Danes having in
the sixteenth century performed it on sheep, swine, cows, and even
mares. The spaying of cows, however, seems to have been forgotten about
the beginning of the present century, and it was not until the year 1831
that Thomas Winn, of Natchez (Louisiana), and afterwards Levrat (of
Lausanne), brought it to the attention of veterinarians, as a means for
the improvement of the milky secretion in cows.
The operation may be considered under two distinct heads. Under the
first it is to be considered as one of _necessity_, as when performed
with a therapeutic object in view; as, for example, when it constitutes
one of the first steps involved in the surgical treatment of
strangulated hernia, or of diseased conditions of the testicles or
ovaries, such as orchitis, epididymitis, sarcocele, hydrocele, cyst,
etc. In the other case it is resorted to for reasons of mere _fashion_
and _convenience_, and has for its object the production of such a
modification of the general organism as shall increase the adaptedness
of the animals subjected to it to the uses to which they are applied;
when, of course, the economic becomes the paramount and exclusive reason
for thus interfering with the obvious creative purpose. It is the
operation as performed under this general heading that we shall now
principally consider.
In relation to this latter object it must be borne in mind that the
operation is followed by certain peculiar effects, which may either
manifest themselves upon the entire organism, or upon some special
functions only. In the first instance it is quite evident that the
primary and most obvious effect of the mutilation is to be discovered in
the character and disposition of the animal, which at once becomes in a
double sense an “altered” creature, docile and submissive, and entirely
willing to become the obedient and useful servant of his human master.
But it is not alone that we find the vicious stallion, the
uncontrollable bull, the kicking jackass, the dangerous boar, and even
the hysteric mare and cow transformed into the useful gelding, the quiet
ox, the patient donkey, and the “fatherly” barrow, the quiet working
mare and the productive cow, as the result of the change which the
character--the nervous system, in fact--has undergone. Besides this,
other marked changes are to be observed of a more distinctly physical
character, such as a modification of the entire organism, manifested in
the external symmetry, and the expressive physiognomy of the creature,
when deprived of its virility.
The animal becomes more quiet, and its general form is modified. If
altered at an early age, the skeleton will be arrested in its growth,
and the mass of muscles attached to it will participate in the defective
development; the head will become elongated, the legs will continue to
be lighter, and the body will show a corresponding lack of development.
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; while his neck is lighter and his
mane more scanty, with the hairs which compose it more fine and silky.
A like tendency exists in other male animals to acquire a resemblance to
the female as an effect of the operation of castration. The altered bull
has a weak and feminine voice; his head is narrower and elongated; his
horns become lengthened and more curved; he has exchanged his wild and
threatening aspect for a mild and gentle visage; his neck also is
lighter and his chest narrower; his bony structure is less massive; and
he has, besides all the rest, acquired a quality of essential importance
to mankind in a dietetic view, that of accumulating fat. This last
phenomenon shows us that besides the other changes referred to, there
is an important modification of the nutritive forces of the animal, or
at least a change in the direction of their action.
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. In animals not used for
draught purposes, or in other labor, when the food received is nearly
always in excess of the amount required for the support of the organism,
the result follows that the surplus of nutritive substances (found
sometimes in great abundance) becomes stored in the connective tissue
and intermuscular structure, and that in this way the flesh assumes
superior and more nutritious qualities than that of the unaltered
animal, while, at the same time, it loses the strong and peculiar odor
frequently communicated to it by the presence of the testicular
apparatus and secretion in the entire animal.
This property of modification of function is probably still better
illustrated in the effect of the operation upon cows, where we shall
find not only the power of accumulation of fat increased by castration,
but, above all, the milky secretion improved both in quality and
quantity, and also in the duration of the flow.
AGE.
The question, “at what age can an entire animal be altered?” admits of a
simple answer, to wit, “as soon as the testicles can be easily
reached--as soon as they appear outside of the abdominal cavity, and are
found in the inguinal canal.” But although it can be performed at that
epoch, or deferred to any period of after life, it must be remembered
that it is easier and less dangerous in young than in older animals, and
that with the former it is a simple operation, producing, ordinarily, no
noticeable alteration in the other functions, and but rarely followed by
accidents.
A period between eighteen months and two years is generally preferred
for horses, though, according to some authors, even a much earlier date
may be chosen, some English veterinarians being accustomed to operate at
as early a date as ten days from birth. It is immaterial, however, at
what precise time the operation may be performed, since it is a conceded
point that the earlier it is done the better.
SEASON.
When it is possible to choose the season most favorable for the
operation, and for securing the best chances of recovery, the spring, or
the early stages of the fall, are those to which the operator should
give the preference, provided the atmospheric temperature is moderate
and not susceptible to sudden variations. It is to be remembered that at
some periods of the year, without any known or apparent cause, a
tendency appears in wounds to take on gangrenous or septicemic
complications which are not so generally observed in the mild weather of
spring and early fall. Another essential condition which surgeons will
do well to take into consideration is the general health of the subject,
as in all cases of surgical interference, any diseased tendency already
existing (perhaps latent) in the patient, such as an anæmic condition, a
gourmy predisposition, or typhoid susceptibility are likely to give rise
to the development of serious and perhaps fatal sequelæ to an operation
which, simple as it may be in itself, is nevertheless not without
danger, or of possible complications of its own.
PREPARATIONS.
The preparations to which the animal is to be subjected previous to
undergoing the operation are the same as those which are required in
other cases of surgical manipulation. 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 is to be subjected to the knife. We shall discuss
hereafter the indications in the case of the castration of large
females.
RESTRAINT.
Two modes of restraint are employed in securing the animals during the
manipulations for the removal of the testicles, one which is applied to
all the various methods yet to be described, and the other applicable
principally to the method of amputation of the cord by the use of the
_écraseur_. In the former, the animal is thrown down and secured with
one of his hind legs fixed in a position in which the inguinal region is
fully exposed. In the latter he is allowed to remain in a standing
posture, and is kept quiet by the application of a twitch upon his upper
lip. As the first mode of securing the patient is the safest for all
parties engaged in the undertaking, and from the further fact of its
applicability in all methods of operating, we shall first consider it
somewhat in detail.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.
Condition of the horse in lying posture. Steps to bring one of the hind
legs upon the corresponding front one.]
By veterinarians who employ the old method of casting with four hobbles,
the animal, being properly prepared, is thrown upon whichever side
corresponds with the operator’s habit of manipulation, whether with the
right hand or the left, and the leg opposite to that on which he is
lying being released from the hobble, is carried forward upon the
corresponding shoulder, as far as it can be safely done. To effect this
a loop of rope or platelonge is passed around the coronet, below the
fetlock, the free end being carried forward over the dorsal border of
the neck, under the neck, towards its anterior border, and is then
carried back under the same hind leg, between the hinder extremities and
over the hock, from the posterior border, where an assistant, stationed
at the back of the animal, is ready to receive it (Fig. 1). By careful,
gradual and steady pulling upon the rope the foot is brought forward
upon the external surface of the shoulder, and there secured by two or
three turns of the rope around the coronet.
But it often occurs that in this position the inguinal region is not
sufficiently exposed, and some of the steps of the operation may thus be
rendered difficult, even when the surgeon has taken the precaution to
pose the body of the patient and place him partly on his back, by means
of bundles of straw pressed under the side upon which he lies. Many
operators prefer the use of the double side line, with which, when the
animal is thrown, both hind legs are brought forward together, and he is
fixed squarely upon his back, and the inguinal region thus brought
distinctly into view. The manipulation is thereby made easier for the
surgeon, and, it is claimed, safer for the patient. The possibility of
danger attending these methods has led many veterinarians in Europe, and
in the United States as well, to prefer the operation with the animal in
the standing posture. But it is to be considered that the same
complications may rise in all instances, with the exception of
apprehended injury to the vertebral column, which, though possible, is
almost unknown, in fact, at the usual age of the castrated animal. 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. When it is considered, again, that by the traction of the
cord the superior opening of the inguinal canal is necessarily
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.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.
1. Testicular envelope. 2. Posterior serous septum. 2′. White muscular
fibres of Bouley. 3. Serous membrane--portion of the tunica vaginalis.
3′. 3″. Visceral layers of the tunica covering the cord and the
testicles. 4. The testicle with its peritoneal covering. 5. The
epididymis. 5′. Globus major. 5″. Globus minor, the tail. 6. Deferent
canal. 7. Spermatic blood vessels and nerves.]
ANATOMY.
We now pass rapidly in review the anatomical structure of the inguinal
region and of the testicular organs. A knowledge of these is of course
essential to a proper understanding of the description of the various
modes of operation, and of some of their sequelæ, upon which we shall
soon enter.
The testicular envelopes, passing from the surface inwards, are
represented by the scrotum, the dartos, the cellular coat, the tunica
erythroida, formed by the cremaster, and the fibrous and serous or
vaginal sac (Fig. 2). The scrotum is a continuation of the skin, and
forms a complete bag, common to both testicles, which it contains and
covers; the skin being here thin, vascular and nervous, usually black in
color, almost hairless, and soft and unctuous to the touch. It is
divided into two lateral halves by a raphæ or median line. It is very
elastic, and easily yields to the efforts of distention, to which it is
subjected, and when stretched over the organs it contains, presents a
shining aspect, due to the sebaceous secretion which covers it. It
easily contracts to its shrunken condition, and may be closely drawn up
into the inguinal canal, when it assumes a thickly wrinkled surface.
The second envelope, the dartos, is a prolongation of the tunica
abdominalis, and is a yellow, fibrous structure, forming two distinct
sacs resting upon each other, and lying on the inside of the scrotum, to
which it is intimately adherent.
In the lateral and superior parts the adhesions are looser, and in front
it becomes continuous with the suspensory ligament of the sheath, which,
like itself, forms a portion of the abdominal tunic. Under the dartos is
a layer of very loose cellular tissue, the lamellæ of which are so
formed that it may be divided into several superimposed layers. This
formation endows the testicle with great mobility in the dartoid sac;
and these layers may be easily separated with the finger from the
external surface of the fibrous coat beneath, except posteriorly, where
it forms a strong band which sometimes requires even the aid of an
instrument to divide.
The next envelope is represented by the tunica erythroida which is the
cremaster muscle, and from the lumbar region extends itself downwards
into the inguinal canal along the outside of the cord, and terminates
towards the superior part of the testicle in fibres spreading only over
its external face. This muscle, by its deep surface, rests upon the
fibrous coat--another envelope of the testicle and of the cord--and to
which it is closely adherent. To the powerful contraction of this muscle
is due the retraction of the testicle into the depth of the groin,
which condition sometimes it is so difficult to overcome in the first
stages of the operation.
The fibrous testicular envelope which we have just seen giving
attachment to the cremaster, is a thin membranous bag, elongated like
the neck of a bottle around the spermatic cord, which it envelopes, and
dilated below, in order to enclose the testicle. Lined internally by the
serous coat, to which it intimately adheres, this last membrane is a
duplicature of the peritoneum, drawn downwards by the testicle when it
descends from the abdominal cavity into the inguinal canal. This serous
envelope has, therefore, two coats, one lying on the inside of the
fibrous tunic, and called the parietal, and that which covers the cord
and the testicle and is known as the visceral. These two layers
approximate towards the posterior border of the cord, and, as they
unite, form a sort of fold, band, or septum which divides into two parts
the posterior portion of the vaginal cavity, and becomes a means of
solid adhesion between the tail of the epididymis and the bottom of the
sac.
The testicles, thus covered by the visceral layer of the serous coat,
are suspended at the end of the spermatic cord, and surmounted upon
their superior border by the epididymis, the first part of the deferent
canal, which is folded upon itself, while at its posterior
extremity--the “tail,” so called--it continues in a straight course, and
conveys the product of the secretion of the testicles into the vesiculæ
seminales, lodged in the pelvic cavity.
The spermatic cord is formed anteriorly by the spermatic or great
testicular artery, which forms, in that portion, a large number of
flexuosities, causing its length greatly to exceed that of the cord to
which it belongs. It contains a network of veins, and lymphatic vessels
in abundance, which are united to the curves of the artery by a somewhat
loose cellular tissue. A large number of nervous branches, given off by
the solar plexus, surrounds the whole.
Between the lamellæ of peritoneal structure which forms the posterior
septum, and which unites the parietal with the visceral layer, there is
found a band of grey muscular fibres--first discovered, I believe, by H.
Bouley--which exerts a powerful agency in the retraction of the testicle
towards the inguinal ring. Behind this muscle, and situated on the
internal face of the septum, are found the deferent canal and the
circumvolutions of the small testicular artery.
Having thus considered the essential points of the anatomical structure
of these organs, we shall next seek to enforce the importance of their
careful study in reference to the intelligent and skilful performance of
the important operation which we are discussing.