464 VETERINARY LECTURES 



790. Placenta Praevia (or the After-birth coming First). — Cases 

 are met with in the cow and ewe where the greater portion of the 

 after-birth comes away prior to the birth of the offspring. This 

 is very troublesome, and has to be cut or torn away before delivery 

 can be accomplished. Great care has then to be used in manipulating 

 the fcetus into proper position for delivery. I remember one case 

 where the whole of the cleansing came away from the cow before 

 the calf. 



791. Hydrops Uteri (or Dropsy of the Womb before Parturi- 

 tion). — This is often seen in the cow and sheep, and occasionally in the 

 mare. As the animal nears the end of its period of gestation, the 

 belly gets to a big size, oppressing the patient, rendering it very 

 weak and languid, and also causing wasting of the flesh. For 

 support, a good broad bandage should be rolled and secured round 

 the body, and good, nutritious food given, waiting patiently until 

 parturition sets in, when, as a rule, an enormous quantity of water 

 comes away, accompanied by a small ill-nourished foetus. In 

 extreme cases, tapping the womb on the right side with a fine 

 trocar and cannula has to be resorted to. 



792. Abnormal Conceptions are recorded, where the young 

 ones were developed in one of the horns of the womb, or in the 

 belly, outside of the womb altogether (extra-uterine conception). 

 In company with Mr. J. Young, M.R.C.V.S., Birmingham, and 

 Mr. Jos. Hewson, M.R.C.V.S., Carlisle, I saw a case of the former 

 in a Clydesdale mare. The vagina and neck of the womb were 

 relaxed and open, the womb dilated to a considerable extent, but 

 nothing in the shape of a fcetus could be found inside. On the 

 right side, about 10 or 12 inches from the neck of the womb, 

 was a constricted, rigid ring ; on passing the hand through this, the 

 stifle of the fcetus could be touched with the t ends of the fingers 

 at full stretch ; the body of the foal could be distinctly felt through 

 the walls of the vagina and womb ; the horn of the uterus being 

 doubled, the head of the foal was in the pelvic cavity, and its nose 

 close to the anus of the mother. After many hours' hard work, 

 we failed to effect delivery, and the mare was destroyed. The 



