THE URINARY SYSTEM 455 



thus come into the passage, and, by careful and steady traction, 

 delivery is soon over. When the fore-legs are jammed in the 

 passage (Plate XLIX., Fig. 15), then, for the safety of the mother, press 

 the hind-feet back over the brim of the pelvis, remove the fore-legs 

 (as described under Plate XLV., Figs. 4 and 5 1 and Plate XLVL, 

 Fig. 6), and bring the hind-feet forward (by the cords attached prior 

 to their being repelled) ; the operator then presses the breast of the 

 foetus back into the uterus, while assistants pull it away, hind-legs 

 first. 



780. Plate XLIX., Fig. 16, represents a case with the back of 

 the head and neck presented, the fore-legs bent back and the pastern 

 joints doubled round the thighs, while the hind pasterns are pressed 

 against the brim of the pelvis of the mother. The foetus is as rigid as 

 if all the joints were anchylosed. In a case which occurred in the 

 practice of the late Mr. Fisher, M.R.C.V.S., Whitehaven, and after 

 many attempts had been made to straighten the head (resulting in 

 failure), it was at last cut off, and a strong cord was fixed round the 

 neck, close down to the breast, yet the body of the foal could not be 

 stirred ; the fore-limb at the shoulder was with great difficulty cut off, 

 and a cord passed round the humerus, and with strong pulling, the 

 leg came away. The sternum (breast-bone) was then detached 

 on each side with the knife and extracted ; the first four ribs were 

 removed by passing the knife between the ribs up to the back-bone, 

 and twisting them off; the contents of the chest and belly were torn 

 out, and the remaining fore-leg and the two hind-feet were pressed 

 towards the spine of the eviscerated foetus, while assistants pulled on 

 the neck-cord, and extraction followed. The operation lasted four 

 hours, and the mare afterwards did well. 



781. Plate XLIX., Fig. 17, is a transverse presentation, where 

 the foetus is lying crosswise in the womb, with the points of the hocks 

 presented towards the os uteri, and the quarters pressing to the off- 

 side of the mother, with the hind-feet pressed firmly against the near 

 side ; the point of the tail is within reach, but the feet and pastern 

 joints cannot be touched. The best mode of procedure in this case 

 is to cut through the ham-string (tendo A chillis) above the point 



