638 ACCIDENTS INCIDENTAL TO PARTURITION. 



1. Overed [Ibid., vol. xxxvii., p. 505) communicates a case of peculiar interest, ni 

 which a Mare, twelve years old, had given birth to a living foal about four weeks pre- 

 vious to his advice being sought. Assistance had been rendered by some farm-laborers, 

 after which the Mare was observed to micturate more frequently and in smaller quan- 

 tities, the effort being accompanied with pain. Put to the stallion nine days after par- 

 turition, the symptoms became more aggravated, the desire to micturate being almost 

 continuous ; but nothing in the way of advice was sought for until a later period, when 

 being put into a pasture, the animal suddenly ceased feeding, trembled violently, lay 

 down, rolled several times, got up, and after much straining voided only a few drops of 

 urine, great pain being evinced, and the body was covered with perspiration. Faeces 

 were freely passed. Great prostration was manifested next day ; there was straining at 

 intervals, the anus and vulva were intensely swollen, the latter being much inflamed. 

 The bladder was discovered to be quite empty and firmly contracted within the pelvis, 

 and the finger passed into the urethra caused a spasmodic ejection of only a few drops 

 of. urine. The Mare died during the evening of the examination. On opening the 

 abdomen a large quantity of fluid — from ten to twelve gallons — escaped; this proved to 

 be urine, with possibly a small quantity of serum, as the peritoneum exhibited slight 

 traces of inflammation. The omentum was very dark in color, and covered with a thin 

 sabulous deposit, some of which was also found adhering to the caecum, colon, and blad- 

 der. The latter was inflamed, unusually thin at the fundus, in the centre of which was 

 a rupture through which a finger could be passed in the contracted state of the organ — 

 the rent would be much larger when the viscus was distended. The injury was sup- 

 posed to have been inflicted during parturition, when probably the bladder was injured 

 at the fundus, and this led to sloughing at the part where the rupture occurred. 



SECTION VI. RUPTURE OF THE INTESTINES. 



There are some instances recorded in which rupture of the intestines 

 has occurred during parturition, Avithout the uterus or other organs being 

 involved. The accident may have been due to over-repletion of the 

 stomach and intestines with ingesta, and the energetic action of the 

 abdominal muscles during the labor pains ; or from the animal throwing 

 itself down violently, under the same circumstances. 



Schaack mentions a case in which rupture was due to a loop of intes- 

 tine being compressed between the foetus and the brim of the pelvis, 

 when the former was passing through the genital canal. 



Such an accident is beyond remedy. 



SECTION VII. RUPTURE OF THE DIAPHRAGM. 



Rupture of the diaphragm is a rare occurrence during parturition, and 

 I can only find three cases recorded. They were probably due to the 

 same causes as those which produce rupture of the intestines. Death 

 resulted. 



1. Molin {Recueil de' Med. Veterinaire, i^yj) vidiS consulted concerning an old Mare 

 which was in foal, but nothing was known as to when fecundation had taken place. 

 The extraordinary size of the abdomen and the movements of the foetus, left no doubt 

 as to pregnancy, and as the period for birth had been exceeded, there were suspicions 

 that it was a case of extra-uterine pregnancy. However, a few days subsequently labor 

 pains set in, and after the animal had been very uneasy for some time they ceased. Two 

 days afterwards, the Mare was again uneasy from time to time, and refused all food. 

 These attacks once more subsided, but in four days a message was sent that the animal 

 was voiding its bowels through the vagina. When Molin arrived, the Mare was dead, 

 and a great part of its intestines were spread over the litter. An examination was made 

 when the uterus was found to be of an enormous size, the body and cornua forming one 

 vast sac ; it had entered the thorax through an enormous rupture in the diaphragm. 

 "This probably had been produced by the violent straining, and was the immediate 

 cause of death." There was a rent in the vagina near the symphysis pubis. The 

 cervix uteri was extremely dense, and the walls of the vagina were also rigid. The os 

 had not dilated. The foetus weighed 140 pounds. 



2. Hayes ( Veterinarian, vol. xiii., p. 268) performed the Caesarean section on a Cow, 



