DYSTOKIA BY DISPLACEMENT. 



319 



But there can be no reason why the remedy should be empirical, or 

 why the confusion in terms which has, unfortunately, existed should be 

 allowed to hinder the progress of science, and even throw obscurity on 

 the practice of such an important operation in obstetrical surgery. 



Saint-Cyr had already explained as succinctly and clearly as possible 

 the exact meaning to be attached to the terms "right torsion" and " left 

 torsion ; " and he has set himself as diligently to demonstrate what should 

 be understood by " rolling an animal to the right," and " rolling it to the 

 left." He supposes an animal laid on its right side ; if it is desired to 

 turn it on its left side, it is evident that this may be accomplished in two 

 different ways : first, by rolling it on its back and allowing it to fall on the 

 left side ; and, second, placing it on its sternum and pushing it over on 

 its left side. In both cases the result is the same : the animal lying at 

 first on the right side, finds itself at last on the left side. And yet it is 

 perfectly obvious that the second movement is exactly the reverse of the 

 first ; while it is not less evident that the creature in both movements has 

 been turned from right to left : for this expression in its real sense simply 

 means that the animal has been moved from its right to its left side. 



But in order to give to this expression a precise signification, a conven- 

 tional interpretation is necessary. This, Saint-Cyr proposes, should be 

 as follows ; — " It ought to be thoroughly understood that, in the move- 

 ment of rotation impressed on the body of an animal, we should always 

 commence by placing it on its back before bringing it on the side oppo- 

 site to that on which it first lay." 



In this sense, "to turn or roll a Cow from right to left," means that 

 the animal, " laid at first on its right side, was placed on its back, then 

 on its left side, then on the sternum, and finally on the side from which 

 it commenced — the right." 



The contrary expression of course means a precisely contrary move- 

 ment : left side, back, right side, sternum, left side. 



From all this it must be admitted that, in order to effect detorsion of 

 the uterus, the Cow should be rolled in the same direction the uterus 

 followed during torsion ; and it is also clear that the uterus does not 

 participate to the same extent as the body of the animal in the rotatory 

 movement to which the latter has been subjected. 



Supposing, as Saint-Cyr has done, that the torsion has been recognized 

 as left, and as is depicted in figure 75 (page 308). 



In such a case the animal would be cast on its left side, and turned suc- 

 cessively on its back, right side, sternum, and left side — it would be rolled^ 

 in fact, from left to right. 



If one complete rotation does not suffice, then the movement must be 

 continued in the same direction until the hand can freely pass to the cer- 

 vix and into the uterus. 



The soundness of these views of our estimable colleague is amply 

 verified in the very numerous cases of torsion of the uterus which have 

 been published during the last thirty years on the Continent, and particu- 

 larly in France, of which he gives a few examples. 



I. Bouley, in a very interesting and complete observation communicated to the Cen- 

 tral Veterinary Medical Society of Paris [Recuetl de Mid. Veterinaire, 1853, p. 469), 

 makes us acquainted with the following features in a case of this description : 



The obstacle which his hand encountered in the vagina seemed to be a spiral infundi- 

 bulum, the curves of which were directed from right to left and from above downwards 

 — there was, in fact, left torsion. The Cow fell on the right side, and was fixed in this 



