148 BOVINE OBSTETRICS 



occurs when the horn is almost vertical or its anterior portion 

 inclined backward. 



After the water-bag has ruptured and uterine contractions 

 set in, an inflexion of the inferior uterine wall may possibly 

 take place. Exploration of the parts reveals, on entering with 

 the hand into the uterus, a fold, which may be so large as to 

 almost reach the opposite wall of the uterus. In such a case 

 the hand, so to speak, is contained in a sac, through the walls 

 of which the calf is felt. Should the fold be less extensive, the 

 hand may pass over it into the cavity occupied by the calf. 

 It is plain that inflexio uteri is only possible after the cervix 

 has been dilated and the foetal water partly escaped. It 

 almost exclusively follows a high degree of anteversion. 



Rainard already in 1850 mentions, in his " Traite complet 

 de la Parturition," that Schaack observed three such cases. 

 Our literature is limited in this respect, although a few cases 

 have been reported. 



Some years ago I reported a case of inflexio uteri in a cow 

 at a meeting of veterinarians. The belly of this animal was so 

 greatly distended that the owner supposed it due to twins. 

 After laboring half a day unsuccessfully, my assistance was 

 requested. On examination I found the os uteri open and a 

 small calf in the posterior pi-esentation with its hind legs 

 against the abdomen in front of the pelvic iule f After correct- 

 ing this position, the calf was extracted by the hind legs. I 

 now examined the cow again, for an eventual second calf, and 

 detected in the left side a sac through which another foetus 

 could be palpated, but I was unable to reach the calf. The 

 cow was allowed to rise and led out of the stable to more roomy 

 quarters, to diagnose the described conditions and to deliver 

 the second calf. Exploration now revealed that the sac had 

 disappeared — probably the result of moving the cow — and 

 that the water-bag was already in the genital passage. In this 

 case the inflexion became corrected spontaneously, and the 

 second calf, being in the anterior presentation, was easilj born. 



Such cases occur perhaps more frequently than we imagine. 

 Small folds do not interfere with extraction, although it is 



