152 BOVINE OBSTETRICS 



stated that torsion is frequently a cause of it, and that the 

 mummy may show the marks of the twisted uterine walls ; the 

 foetus presenting a spiral depression on its thorax. Torsion at 

 the sixth or seventh month often escapes observation and may 

 lead to the formation oi a lithopsedion or maceration. This 

 must always be remembered when examining a pregnant cow. 



JEtiohgy. — The malposition of the uterus designated as 

 torsio uteri only occurs in the pregnant state. In man, rotation 

 of the uterus on its long axis has occasionally been noticed 

 during operations. The revolution did not exceed 180 degrees 

 and was caused by a tumor (Moschung). Rueff reports an 

 analogous case in a cow where the uterus rotated in conse- 

 quence of an enormous enlargement of the kidney, which 

 weighed 15 kg. 



Torsio uteri, it is safe to state, occurs exclusively in the 

 pregnant cow in the second half of the period of gestation, in 

 the majority of cases immediately before birth, as we shall see 

 later. 



The causes may be divided into two main groups : predis- 

 posing and direct causes. The former rest on the anatomical 

 arrangement previously described, and on the fact that the 

 uterus has sufficient room to rotate, as seen in cows which rise 

 on the hind legs first while still on their knees in front. In 

 consequence of this oblique posture, the rumen and intestines 

 slip forward, giving the uterus more room, and its anterior 

 portion, not fixed by the mesometrium, may rotate. It has also 

 beMi observed that in places where the cows stand too closely 

 together and therefore are obliged to lie down and got up us 

 just described, torsio uteri became more frequent than before 

 that time, where each cow had a roomy stall (Franck-Goring). 

 The relaxation of the suspensory apparatus of the uterus and 

 abdomen has also been brought under this category of causes. 



The direct cause of the rotation must be an active one, and. 

 in fact, may exist. 



In discussing the anatomy, the diagonal position of the 

 rumen was described. The volume of this organ is very change- 

 able. It is true that it occupies a definite position in the 



