ANOMALIES IN GESTA TION 163 



owner, the Sheep brought forth a lamb, which it suckled, and which grew up. The 

 mother was then put by for fattening, and when ready for the butcher it was examined 

 by M. Simon. By taxis, he distinctly felt, a little to the right of the lower part of the 

 abdomen, an elongated, hard, irregular, insensible tumor, slightly curved shape, and 

 presenting along the curvature very prominent asperities, which were distinguished 

 as those of the vetebral column of a dead foetus. The animal being killed and opened, 

 the uterus was found contracted, and situated in the upper region of the abdomen ; it 

 offered no signs of gestation. The intestines were then removed and the right side of 

 the rumen lifted up, when the tumor was discovered which had been felt externally ; 

 it was firmly attached to the abdominal wall, and consisted of a pouch containing the 

 foetus. No particular mention is made of the condition of the walls of the uterus, and 

 the foetus and its envelopes having been sent to M. Renault, then directorof the Alfort 

 Veterinary School, unfortunately no report as to the anatomical peculiarities of these 

 was published. The case would, however, appear to be one of primary extra-uterine 

 abdominal foetation.* ^ 



The second case is given by S. Della-Rovere, veterinary surgeon of Angliano 

 {Archivio della Veterinai'ia Italiani, 1868), who was called to give his attention to a 

 Cow in parturition, and which had been already in the hands of an empiric for some 

 time. It was aged 14 years, and was very emaciated. By a vaginal exploration the os 

 uteri was found completely closed, so that torsion of the uterus was at first apprehended ; 

 but it was soon discovered that such was not the catse. During the examination the 

 expulsive movements continued, and Della-Rovere felt under his hand the limbs of a 

 foetus pressing against the margin of the vulva. Withdrawing his arm, by palpation 

 along the floor of the vagina he satisfied himself of the presence of the two fore-limbs 

 and head of a foetus. An incision was consequently made through the vaginal wall at 

 the point corresponding to the foetal limbs, and by the opening so made he extracted a 

 living healthy calf, which was given to another Cow to rear. Some minutes afterwards, 

 the straining persisting, another exploration was made, when a second calf, much 

 smaller and dead, was removed. The Cow died three days after this operation. 

 Unfortunately, the veterinary surgeon could not make a careful examination, as when 

 informed of the death of the 'animal, it had already been cut up ; so that he was unable 

 to ascertain by what means the foetuses were nourished, and how the umbilical cords were 

 attached. The uterus was quite contracted and small, with numerous folds in the inte- 

 rior, as if the animal had not bred for several months ; on the left side of the organ, at 

 its lower third, was a long irregular cicatrix, with a small round opening at its inferior 

 extremity, through which a goose quill could scarcely be passed. From inquiry, it was 

 ascertained that the Cow had been overturned by another while at pasture during the 

 early months of gestation ; but it never showed any signs of inconvenience from this 

 accident, and was regularly worked in the plough.! This is an example, probably, of 

 the second form, the foetuses having escaped through the walls of the uterus by a tear 

 made in that organ. Other instances of the variety will be given hereafter. 



In the Veterinarian (vol. vii., p. 606), Mr. Berry mentions a. Cow which, being preg- 

 nant, exhibited all the signs of approaching parturition at the usual time ; and after 

 showing symptoms of fever and uneasiness from distended udder for some days, was at 

 last examined /^r z/a^/ww;/, but no calf was found in the uterus, though it could be 

 " touched" above the flank. Being satisfied that it was a case of extra-uterine gesta- 

 tion, the Caesarean operation was performed; but the animal was so exhausted that it 

 died before the business was completed. The operation brought to light "a mass of 

 fungous matter, weighing not less than seventy pounds, in the centre of which lay a 

 remarkably fine heifer calf, fully matured, and evidently a very short time dead. The 

 most minute examination was instituted, but no connection appeared between the womb 

 and the part enclosing the calf, except by external adhesion." 



In the same journal (vol. xiii., p. 66) Mr. Metherell, of Spalding, describes a foetus 

 which was found in the lumbar region, behind the left kidney of a Sheep, and attached 

 to the peritoneum. 



In this journal also (vol. xv., p. 103I, Mr. Green, of Fareham, writes of an examination 

 he made of the body of a full grown Ewe. On making an incision along the linea alba, 

 through the abdominal and recti muscles, there was presented to view a foetal lamb in 

 the cavity of the abdomen, wholly deprived of its membranes, its back lying on the 

 abdominal muscles, the support or attachment being formed on the off-side, and effected 

 by means of intervening bands of lymph from the cheek, and continuing backwards to 

 the antero-spinous process of the ossa innominata, wholly enveloping the off-fore ex- 

 tremity. The union formed between the foetus and the peritoneal covering, at the inner 

 surface of the right abdominal muscles in the umbilical regionj was its head, the pos- 



* " Recueil de M^d. Vet^rinaire," 1857, p. 298. 



t "Journal des V^t^rinairesdu Midi,'' 1869, p. 1S9. 



