168 THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF 



BACK OF THE CALF PRESENTING AT THE BRIM OF 

 THE PELVIS. 



This unfortunate presentation is one of rare occurrence, I 

 never saw but one case, and that I now propose to introduce 

 for the instruction of my readers. I was called a short time 

 ago to visit a cow the property of Mr. R., of Winchester; the 

 animal had been in labor, with strong parturient pains, for 

 twelve hours, in the mean time several persons had tried their 

 skill on the poor brute without doing the least good. At the 

 time of my visit, she was in a deplorable condition, her ears, 

 horns, and extremities, were icy cold; she was delirious, 

 throwing her head about in a reckless manner, as if in convul- 

 sions ; the vaginal lips were very much tumefied, their lining 

 membrane highly inflamed. 



I immediately gave her a good drench of stimulating medi- 

 cine, which appeared to have a good effect in restoring warmth 

 on the external surface, and in the extremities. On making 

 an examination I discovered that the back or spinal column of 

 the foetus, was firmly impacted within the brim of the pelvis, 

 consequently every uterine effort to expel the same was only 

 making matters worse. I employed all the usual means to 

 change the position of the calf to no purpose ; finally I pro- 

 posed an operation, to which the owner consented. I now 

 etherized the cow, turned her on her left side, and made an 

 incision through the right flank, beginning at a point two inches 

 beneath the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, mid- 

 distance of the last rib and anterior spine of the pelvis ; the 

 length of the incision was about ten inches. I then divided the 

 muscles in this region known as the transversalis, external, and 

 internal oblique ; having thus exposed the peritoneum, I punc- 

 tured it, and by means of a probe-pointed bistoury dilated it 

 to the extent of the external incision. I then made an incision 

 through the uterus, disembowelled the calf so as to reduce its 

 bulk, and finally removed the heart and lungs ; yet I could not 

 extract the carcase (which was of extraordinary size). I 

 therefore made a section of the spinal column, and removed the 



