Vaginal Ovariotomy in the Cow 271 



the abdomen and sternum to prevent lying down, and a rope 

 over the middle of the back to prevent arching of the spinal 

 column and straining. 



Wash and disinfect the tail and the perineum and flush 

 out the vagina with a 0.5 per cent, solution of carbolic acid 

 or lysol at a temperature of about 100° F. Insert the vagi- 

 nal dilator with one hand and push the prolongation at the 

 anterior end into the os uteri. With the other hand, elevate 

 the handle of the dilator, and depress and push forward the 

 uterus, thus rendering the roof of the vagina tense and push- 

 ing it downward away from the rectum. Carry the scalpel 

 into the vagina with the right hand and, resting it in the 

 oval of the dilator, make an incision through the roof of the 

 vagina, beginning at a point 8 to 10 cm. posterior to the os 

 uteri and extending backward on the median line for a dis- 

 tance of 2 or 3 cm. Be careful to make the incision entirely 

 through the mucosa, muscle and peritoneum at the first cut, 

 since any failure to complete it tends to cause the perito- 

 neum to separate from the muscular coat and form a pocket 

 between them, while the serous membrane, being very elas- 

 tic, renders it difficult to complete the incision. Introduce 

 two fingers through the incision, if the ovary is not greatly 

 enlarged, and, reaching over the side of the vagina to the 

 right or the left, the right or left ovary respectively is recog- 

 nized, when normal in volume, lying immediately against 

 the lower part of the base of the uterine horn, just at the 

 anterior border of the pubis, in a mass consisting of the 

 cord-like Fallopian tube and the fimbriae of its pavilion. 

 When the seat of an extensive tumor or cyst, it shifts its lo- 

 cation downward and forward a variable distance according 

 to its weight. The normal ovary may be distinguished as a 

 firm oval mass 2 to 4 cm. in length and 1 to 2 cm. in its lesser 

 diameter attached to the broad ligament. If not promptly 

 recognized by the sense of touch, trace the vagina and uterus 

 forward with the fingers from the vaginal incision to the 

 cornua and follow them as they bend forward and down- 

 ward, and then backward and upward to the oviducts, until 

 the ovary is reached where it is attached to the broad liga- 

 ment, just beyond the fimbriated end. 



