PREGNANCY. 



truth of the matter. lie may wish 

 to soil her, or he may be uiuisually 

 desirous to breed from her. Let the 

 animal be examined per vaginam. 

 Jjet the hand be slowly and cautious- 

 ly passed up the vagina unld it reach- 

 es tiie OS uteri. Let there be no at- 

 tempt to penetrate farther. No in- 

 formation can be gained from intro- 

 dncins the fingers mto the uterus. It 

 is simply wished to ascertain the 

 character of the os uteri. In its nat- 

 ural and unimpregnated stale it will 

 be closed ; but it will not be tigiitly 

 or spasmodically so, and the contrac- 

 tion of the mouth of the womb will 

 form a kind of cup, with the base to- 

 wards that viscus. If she is impreg- 

 nated, the entrance to the uterus will 

 he more firmly closed, and the pro- 

 trusion will be towards the vagina. 

 This is tiie only exploration per vagi 

 nam which I would allow ; it is easi- 

 ly made, and it will be satisfactory. 

 If an exploration of this kind is at- 

 tempted when half or more than half 

 of the period of pregnancy has passed, 

 it is not at all unlikely that so much 

 irritation of the jiarts will ensue as 

 to cause the expulsion of the fcetus. 



"I will suppose tiiat two months 

 have passed since the supposed im- 

 pregnation. The foetus is still re- 

 maining in the pelvic cavity. The 

 heart has begun to beat, and the 

 blood to circulate through its little 

 veins. It will be situated immedi- 

 ately below the rectum. I introduce 

 my hand into that intestine. I have 

 no occasion to pass it very far up. 

 I feel the little substance ; for it then 

 is small in proportion to its alter 

 growth. I feel it under my hand. I 

 am certain that 1 am pressing upon 

 the uterus and its contents. I can- 

 not, perhaps, detect the pulsation of 

 the embryo ; but if I had delayed my 

 examination until the fcptus was three 

 months old. I should have assurance 

 that it was there by its now iticreas- 

 ed bulk, whde the pulsation of its 

 heart would tell me that it was liv- 

 ing. 



" For two months from this period 

 in the cow, and for three in the mare, 

 I should have no other indication of 

 Huh 



the presence of the fcetus, not of its 

 life and growth, exccj)t from the grad- 

 ual enlargement of the abd(»mcn of 

 the mother ; and i)y that time tlu; lit- 

 tle one would have increased in size 

 and strength, and would have begun 

 to take occasional exercise in its hrst 

 domicil, and then would become the 

 more evident, but not more satisfac- 

 tory proof of the life of the foitus ; 

 its motion strong enough to be seen 

 through the integument. 



"I might, perhai)S, wish to give 

 this assurance of the life of the foetus 

 to some curious spectator, or to some 

 intended purchaser. I would not gal- 

 lop the mare in order to elfect this ; 

 I would not so far disturb her or the 

 young animal that she bore within 

 her : much less would I give her 

 cold water to drink, and which she 

 usually would drink until she annoy- 

 ed the foetus, and the unborn animal 

 told us how much we annoyed him 

 by endeavouring to shift his quarters 

 and get away from the action of the 

 cold. I woidd not run the hazard of 

 giving her the colic, and perhaps de- 

 stroying him or her by this unscien- 

 tific and somewhat cruel method of 

 exploration ; but I prol)ably should 

 give a tap or two on the outer wall 

 ol his dwelling, just sufficient to rouse 

 him from his slumbers, and induce 

 hiin to ex()ress his anger at the an- 

 noyance by a tolerably distinct plunge 

 or kick. 



" Most eertainly, if it was a cow 

 that I was exhibiting, I would not 

 give, nor would I suffer any one else 

 to give, those terrible punches in the 

 right flank, which, I have no doubt, 

 are the cause of much unsuspected 

 injury, and, occasionally at least, 

 connected with, or the origin of, a 

 difficult or a fatal parturition 



" I may here observe tiiat the foe- 

 tus of the mare, from the beginning, 

 occupies nearly the centre of the bel- 

 ly. In the early stage, Mr. Mogford 

 generally found it 'lying across the 

 pelvic cavity, the spine being imme- 

 diately under ; the head on the left 

 side, and the tail on the right side.' 

 In the latter portion of its foetal state 

 its motions are pretty equally dis- 



r>37 



