DISEASES OF TUB GENERATIVE ORGANS. 189 



find no further obstacle. When a tumor is too hu^re to allow delivery 

 the only resort is to remove it. hut before proceed inj:; it nuist be 

 clearly made out that the obstruction is a mass of diseased tissue, and 

 not a sac containiu*; intestines. If the tiuuor han«j:s by a neck it can 

 usually bo nu)st safely remo\ed by the ("'craseui-, the chain being 

 passed around the pedicel and iriadually tijrhtciicd until that is torn 

 throu<rh. 



Hkkma or Tin; wo.mu. — Tlie ruptuiv ol" the niusculo-librous llocti- of 

 the lielly and the escape of the <:;ia\id womb into a sac formed by 

 the peritoneum aiul skin han<;in<j^ toward the gi'ound is desciibed by 

 all \eterinary ol>stetiicians, yet it is very rarel}' seen in the Jmire. 

 The form of the fetus can be felt through the walls of the sac, so 

 that it is easy to recognize the condition. Its cause is usually extei'- 

 nal violence, though it may start from an umbilical hernia. A\'hen 

 the period of parturition arrives, the first effort should be lo return 

 the fetus within the ])i-oper abdominal cavity, and this can sometimes 

 be accomplishetl with the aid of a stout blanket gradually tightened 

 around the belly. This failing, the mare may be placed on her side 

 or back and gravitation brought to the aid of manipulation in elFect- 

 ing ttie return. Even after the hernia has been reduced the relaxed 

 state of the womb and abdominal walls may serve to hinder parturi- 

 tion, in which case the oiled hand must be introducecl thi-ough the 

 vagina, the fetus brought into p-osition, and traction cointiih-nt with 

 the labor pains employed to produce delivery. 



Twisting of the neck of the womii. — This condition is very 

 uncommon in the mare, though occasi<mally seen in the cow, owing 

 to the greater laxity of the broad ligaments of the womb in that 

 animal. It consists in a revolution of the womb on its own axis, 

 so that its right or left side will be turned upward ((juarter revolu- 

 tion), or the lower surface may be turned upward and the upper 

 surface downward (half revolution). The elFect is to throw the 

 narrow neck of the womb into a series of spiral folds, turning in 

 the direction in which the womb has revolved, closing the neck and 

 rendering distention and dilatation impossible. 



The period and pains of i)arturition arri\e. but in spite of contin- 

 ued efforts no progress is made, neither water bags nor liquids 

 appearing. The oiled hand introduced into the closed neck of the 

 womb will i-ea<lily detect the spiiiil direction of the folds on its inner 

 surface. 



The nu'thod of iidud' whu-h 1 ha\e suci-essfully adoi)leil in tlie 

 cow nuiy be e<jually effective in the mare. The dam is placed (with 

 her head uphill) on her right side if the upper folds of the spiral 

 turn toward the right, and on her left side if tlu'V turn toward the 

 left, and the oileil hand is introduced through the neck of the womb 

 and a limb or other part of the body of the fetus is seized and 



