The Diagnosis of Twin Pregnancy 127 



rolled over several times, released and caused to get up, 

 then thrown and rolled again. In all, she was rolled com- 

 pletely over six times, thrown twice, and the gravid uterus 

 palpated with considerable vigor. She calved easily and 

 without assistance, at 280 days. Both mother and calf were 

 healthy. Thus, she endured severe uterine torsion, violent 

 rolling, and prolonged palpation per rectum, without visible 

 disturbance of the course of pregnancy. 



Some veterinarians are afraid to apply forceps to the 

 cervix of a pregnant cow or mare and exert traction. The 

 proper application of the uterine forceps to the cervix does 

 not cause any material disturbance to the uterine seal and 

 causes only the most trivial wound of the cervix. The trac- 

 tion applied to the cervix by any veterinarian of very ordi- 

 nary prudence is not so great as the tension caused upon 

 the same parts when the animal is lying down or getting up. 



Generally life can be recognized in the fetus by rectal ex- 

 ploration long before it can be by auscultation of the heart 

 or by other means. When the cow has been pregnant four 

 or five months, the fetus, eight to twelve inches long, when 

 touched, generally reacts to the impact and moves in a 

 clearly recognizable manner. 



7. The Diagnosis of Twin Pregnancy 



The diagnosis of twin pregnancy can be made only by 

 rectal examination and is especially easy in the cow at 90 to 

 120 days, when the entire uterus may generally be palpated, 

 as well as the ovaries. At this time, if the twins are bicor- 

 nual, as is the rule, the diagnosis is very simple. The two 

 horns are equal in size, and, as discussed in the following 

 paragraph, there is a corpus luteum of pregnancy in each 

 ovary. With all cardinal symptoms of pregnancy present, 

 the two elements mentioned make the diagnosis very reli- 

 able. Later, when the uterus becomes greatly enlarged and 

 passes far forward in the abdomen, the diagnosis is more 

 difficult and less secure. The corpora lutea cannot then be 

 felt, as the ovaries are out of reach and the uterine horns 

 cannot be well compared. The diagnosis of twins must then 



