PARTURITION. 165 



state, not a muscle except the involuntary ones moving, I gave hex 

 a little brandy and water, and then closed the door and left her. 

 The general opinion of the by-standers was, that in a few minutes 

 she would be dead : this was about 4 P. M. Indispensable business 

 prevented me from seeing her until 10 o'clock, when I was glad to 

 find my patient somewhat revived. I gave more brandy and beef- 

 tea, and left her for the night. 



"At 6 A. M. there was a decided improvement ; the extremities 

 were warm, the respiration tranquil, with an occasional grunt and 

 pricking or moving of the ears ; some fseces had passed during the 

 night. I doubted whether the bladder had been emptied, and there- 

 fore introduced a small catheter which I use for sheep, &c., and took 

 away a great quantity of water. I ordered more weak brandy and 

 water and broth. 



"At 6 p. M. the symptoms were improving, excepting that the 

 side surrounding the incision was a little swelled ; I therefore 

 ordered fomentations to be applied, using hot cloths, with but little 

 water. 



" 18th. Doing well ; the secretions regular ; and she for the first 

 time voluntarily took a little milk, with a drachm of brandy, of 

 which she appeared fond. From this time she continued to improve 

 iaily ; and on the fifth day from the operation she was able to stand, 

 ind fed well. The roller round her body was not removed for a 

 month, and the plaster remained for nearly three months. When it 

 came away the wound was beautifully healed. This animal has 

 attracted considerable attention in the neighborhood, and she is now 

 as fat as she can be, and a fine specimen of the short-eared breed." 



MONSTROSITIES. 



Monstrosities are often farrowed by swine. It would be difficult 

 to assign any cause for this, did we admit, with most persons, that 

 these are peculiarly stupid and unimaginative animals ; but as in 

 Chapter III. we have already declared our opinion to be a contrary 

 one, the inexplicability of the matter is done away with. 



Mr. Ellis, V. S., of Liverpool, gives an account of six sows belong 

 ,ing to one person which all produced blind young ones, the greater 

 part of which were without the least semblance of an eye, the orbif 

 being quite empty. Some of them had four ears each. Only four 

 out of the whole lot lived ; they were either brought forth dead or 

 died immediately after birth. 



One of the sows could not farrow any of her young ones, they 

 being three times the proper size, and in a state of decomposition. 

 The Csesarean operation was therefore performed, as the only means 

 of saving her ; but it had been delayed too long ; she only lived 

 three hours after it. 



