272 Anatomy and Physiology of the 



In this instance the calf is lying on its back in the womb, with 

 the legs turned towards the spinal column of the cow. Labour 

 here is usually of long duration, and various expedients are adopted 

 by practitioners to adjust the foetus prior to the employment of 

 traction to remove it : but in most cases 1 have proceeded as 

 follows :■ — first a cord has been placed on the lower jaw to secure 

 the head so that at will it might be brought forward. Next, 

 similar cords have been fastened on each fore-leg ; the one 

 attached to the leg represented in the fore-ground running on the 

 outer side of the other limb, marked a in the sketch. An assistant 

 has then been directed to draw tightly at this so as to facilitate 

 our endeavours to turn the foetus on its side, by placing the hand 

 near the withers, as represented in the sketch. This being 

 effected, the legs are brought into the vagina, and then the head : 

 these additional manipulations will cause the foetus to turn, as it 

 were, upon itself, when it may be safely extracted. 



One of the most difficult forms to deal with, and which in- 

 variably costs the practitioner considerable labour and anxiety, 

 is that represented in fig. 10. Here we observe that the foetus 

 is lying with its head towards the chest of the cow, having 

 the hinder parts pressed against the brim of the pelvis, and the 

 hind legs placed under the body, so that on introducing the hand 

 we can only feel the breech. We have here to reverse the posi- 

 tion of the hind-legs and bring them into the vaginal passage, as 

 delineated in fig. 11, or delivery will be impossible. The great 

 difficultv in doing this arises from the little command we have over 

 the parts from our inability to grasp the hind legs : consequently 

 many years since I was led to construct a simple instrument to 

 enable the practitioner to surmount this difficulty. The instru- 

 ment, which is sketched in fig. 10, consists of a curved piece of 

 steel having an aperture at one end, to which a small cord is 

 attached, at the other a female screw is placed, which admits of 

 its junction to a whalebone staff, and between the two another 

 opening exists, into which is inserted a stronger cord. 



Taking the staff with the two cords in his hand, the operator is 

 to pass the instrument between the thighs of the calf, and push it 

 in front of the stifle-joint, and then with a turn of the wrist to 

 direct the small cord outwards. An assistant holding the instru- 

 ment, the hand of the accoucheur is now to be introduced and 

 directed to the front part of the stifle-joint, when the cord can be 

 readily grasped and brought out ; thus the limb will be embraced 

 between the two cords : the whalebone staff is then to be detached, 

 and the smaller cord to be run through a noose at the free end of 

 the larger one, when, by drawing the smaller cord, the curved 

 part of the instrument will travel round the limb, bringing with 

 it the larger cord, and thus a looped ligature will be placed upon 



