DISEASES PECULIAR TO BREEDING STOCK. 333 



It will be useless to describe the more difficult presenta- 

 tions, as they will require for their safe delivery, where such 

 is possible, a variety of instruments and appliances, with 

 which, and their proper use, the breeder cannot be expected 

 to be familiar. In all difficult cases the farmer or breeder 

 will find it to his advantage to send without delay for a prop- 

 erly educated veterinary surgeon, who alone is capable, from 

 his knowledge of the anatomy of the genital organs, of ren- 

 dering efficient assistance in complicated and difficult cases. 

 But it is to be regretted that the scarcity of this class of men 

 is so great, wherefore much suffering and considerable loss 

 must unavoidably be sustained. 



LACERATION OF THE PERINEUM. 



To a mare to which such an accident has happened the 

 queer name of a "gill-flirt" is vulgarly applied. The injury 

 consists in a laceration of the membrane between the anus 

 and the genital organs, caused by difficult parturition, espe- 

 cially in cases where the foal is very large and the labor 

 pains excessively strong. Treatment by way of uniting the 

 parts by sutures generally proves unsuccessful unless insti- 

 tuted immediately after the accident. When the laceration 

 has not included the anal sphincter a partial healing some- 

 times occurs with surgical assistance. The condition does 

 not unfit a mare for future breeding; but special care is re- 

 quired at the time of service to so direct the stallion (who 

 should stand on higher ground than the mare if she is large) 

 that the vagina proper", and not the rectum, be entered; 

 that is, if the entire extent of the perinseum, including the 

 anal sphincter, be lacerated. In this latter event there is 

 also the unpleasant feature of the dung passing from the 

 rectum into the vagina, making the voiding of the same to 

 some extent difficult and more or less incomplete and offen- 

 sive. 



To the foregoing pages of this chapter by 

 Dr. Paaren I may very properly add the follow- 

 ing: 



