68 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 



cavity lining the bowels. The inside is lined with mucous 

 membrane which is thrown into folds when the bladder is 

 empty. Another coat is found, between the two membranes 

 above mentioned, called the muscular coat, the action of 

 which is to contract the bladder when the animal wants 

 to urinate. The bladder is held in place by ligaments. 

 The rectum lies above the bladder, which in the horse rests 

 on the floor of the pelvic cavity. Its position in the mare 

 differs from that of the horse. Instead of the rectum or back 

 bowel being immediately above it, as in the horse, the womb 

 is just above the bladder or between it and the rectum. The 

 bladder acts as a reservoir in which to store the water until it 

 is full; it then presses on the walls and nerves, giving a 

 peculiar sensation to these parts, causing the walls to con- 

 tract, forcing the water into a tube which carries it from the 

 body. This tube is called the urethra. The neck of the 

 bladder is simply an opening at the back part, and is guarded 

 by a valve which prevents the urine from dripping out except 

 when the animal is passing its water. 



4. The Urethra is the tube which carries the water from 

 the bladder out of the body. It is situated much differently 

 in the mare than in the horse. In the mare it is very short, 

 passing from the neck of the bladder along below the womb 

 and vagina, which is the passage from the outside into the 

 neck of the womb. It opens up into the underside of this 

 passage about four inches in from the outside. This opening 

 is guarded by a small thin valve, and can be felt by passing 

 the finger along the under side of the passage which leads 

 into the womb. In the horse this tube is a great deal longer 

 than in the mare. It commences at the bladder, passes along 

 below the rectum or back bowel to just below the anus 

 Here this tube bends downward and forward and passes into 

 the penis, continuing down to the end, where it terminates. 

 Its purpose is to carry the urine from the bladder out of the 

 body and to perform certain duties in connection with the 

 genital organs. Its lining is a continuation of the membrane 

 of the bladder. 



