N° d'objet
59/113
Description
This cauterising iron, or searing iron, was heated until red-hot and used to sear the stumps of animals' tails to stop the bleeding after they had been docked. It consists of a flattened iron paddle, stamped with the initials 'C. F.'. Nothing is known of its origin.
Description physique
1 cauterising iron: iron, wood
Historique d'archive
MERL Object Handling Research, Rachael Rogers, December 2019 - 'This is a cauterising iron, or searing iron, used to sear the stumps of animals' tails after docking. It consists of a flattened iron paddle, stamped with the initials 'C. F.'. Nothing is known of its origin. // The flattened paddle end of the cauterising iron is heated over a flame until red-hot, and then applied to the stump of the animals’ tail, searing the end and cutting off the blood flow. During this process, the animal is often held in a restricting pen, closed in at the sides and front to prevent it moving during the process and causing injury. Smaller animals, such as lambs have, historically, been held during both the docking and cauterising process, as can be seen in this image from 1920. // Docking can be undertaken with the use of a docking iron [see MERL object 52/46] although some farmers would make use of scissors, particularly in the case of lambs [see MERL object 83/21]. // Sheep, dogs, horses, cattle, and pigs have all, historically, been docked. This has largely been a means of preventing infection, including flystrike, but also minimising the risk of long-term harm to the animal. Long tails were seen as a risk to horses, particularly when wearing harnesses, while pigs’ tails were at risk of being bitten off by other pigs when housed in close quarters. Today, lambs are often still docked as lambs, but this practice is largely omitted from care of pigs, while horses’ tails are plaited. The docking of dogs was a practice undertaken since the Roman period with the aim of preventing harm to working dogs. In 2006, the docking of dogs was banned in England, Wales, and Scotland under the Animal Welfare Act, 2006.'
Nom d'objet
Matériel
Technique
Document électronique
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_2691.tif - High resolution image
