74 TREATMENT OF THE COW 



force, however, should not immediately be used, for the chance of 

 saving- the young one must not yet be f^iven up. This not succeeding, 

 greater power must be applied, until the assistants begin to use their 

 full strength, pulling steadily, and with the pains of the cow, if they 

 still continue. 



In the natural position of the calf, the young one is almost uniformly 

 extracted by these means, and its life is preserved ; for both the mo- 

 tfier and her progeny will, without serious injury, bear the employ- 

 ment of more force than v/ould by some be thought credil)le. When 

 the womb is unable to discharge its contents, and the throes are 

 diminishing, or perhaps ceasing, much benefit may be derived from 

 the administration of the ergot of rye, which appears to act as a 

 stimulus specifically on the uterus: two drachms of this medicine, 

 finely powdered, may be given in a pint of ale, and repeated several 

 times, if required, with intervals from half an hour to an hour. 



The foetus is not, however, always presented naturally, and it is 

 the duty of the operator to ascertain its exact position in the womb. 

 This he will not find much difficulty in accomplishing. 



The most usual false position is the presentation of the head, while 

 the feet of the calf are bent and doubled down under his belly, and 

 remain in the womb. A cord must be passed as before around the 

 lower jaw, which is then to be pushed back into the womb. The 

 operator now introduces his hand, and endeavours to feel the situation 

 of the feet. He is generally able to find them out, and to fix a cord 

 round each pastern, or at least about the knee, and then he can usually 

 bring them into the passage. The head is next to be brought forward 

 again by means of the cord; and, the three cords being afterwards 

 pulled together, the foetus is extracted. Should the calf have been 

 long fixed in the passage, and be evidently much swelled, it is cer- 

 tainly dead ; the head may then be opened in order to lessen its bulk, 

 and the extraction accomplished as before. 



When the feet present, and the head is doubled under the rim of 

 the passage, the case is more difficult, and the calf is very rarely 

 saved : indeed it may be reckoned to be dead if it has remained in 

 this position for any considerable time. Cords are first to be placed 

 round the feet; the hand must be afterwards passed into the womb, 

 and the situation of the head exactly ascertained, and the cord passed 

 round the low^er jaw. The calf being then pushed farther back into 

 the womb, the head must be brought into the passage, and, the three 

 ropes being pulled together, the delivery effected as quickly as may 

 be, without the exertion of more force than is necessary. 



The last false presentation I shall mention is that of the breech, 

 the tail appearing at the mouth of the shape. The hand is to be 

 passed into the uterus, and the cords fastened round each hock. The 

 calf is then to be pushed as far back as possible into the womb, and 

 the hocks, one after the other, brought into the passage, the ropes 

 being shifted as soon as possible to the fetlock. With the exertion 



