DROPSY OF THE FCETAL MEMBRANES 135 



Inflammation of the Placenta (placentitis) does not offer 

 any symptoms during pregnancy which enable us to make a 

 positive diagnosis. Although exact investigations have not 

 been made along this line in our domestic animals, it no doubt 

 happens quite frequently. 



Tapken (at Varel) describes a case where the chorion 

 presented grayish proliferations of hazel-nut size, which were 

 connected here and there with accessory placentae. Placen- 

 titis cannot be diagnosed intra vitam, although its termination 

 is of great importance to veterinary obstetrics. 



Adhesion between the foetal and maternal placenta con- 

 fines itself to a few places. It consists of a union of the 

 connective tissue of the villi of the chorion and that of the 

 villi of the maternal placenta. These adhesions are one of the 

 causes of retention of the placenta. Occasionally calcium 

 salts are precipitated (Cagny). Tumors on the placenta are 

 rare ; an occasional myxoma has been observed. 



5.— Dropsy of the Foetal Membranes. Hydrallantois, 

 Hydr amnios. 



In veterinary literature many cases of dropsy of the foetal 

 envelopes are described. 



Brannens (St. Cyr and Violet) already in 1829 described 

 dropsy of the foetal membranes in his " Observations sur une 

 hydrometre intra-membraneuse." According to his descrip- 

 tion, he was dealing with a hydrallantois, his prognosis in 

 these cases being on the whole a favorable one. In speaking 

 of the dropsy of foetal membranes, one usually refers to an 

 extraordinary accumulation of allantoic liquor. In man, 

 dropsy of the foetal envelopes confines itself to hydramnios, as 

 the allautois is absent in advanced pregnancy. Hydramnios 

 occurs in the cow, as I found it on post mortem of a cow 

 in which dropsy of the foetal membranes had been diagnosed 

 during life. The sac of the amnion contained 25 1. of a thin, 

 slimy liquid. Most of the reported cases, however, refer to 

 hydrallantois. 



