230 ftiE FARM DOCTOR, 



DISORDERS FOLLOWING PARTURITION, 



Flooding. — Bleeding from the walls of the womb. Mostly 

 after a too hasty parturition in which the uterine walls are 

 exhausted and fail to contract ; or when the womb has suffered 

 violence in extraction of the foetus. 



Symptoms. — Bloodless pallor of the mucous membranes, 

 coldness of the surface, weakness, weak pulse, with or without 

 palpitation of the heart and discharge of blood from the vulva. 

 The hand introduced into the womb finds that organ soft, 

 flaccid, dilated and filled with liquid or clotted blood. 



Treatment. — Apply cold water or bags of ice to the loins and 

 external genifal organs, remove the afterbirth and clots with 

 the hand, and, if necessary, inject cold water, acids (vinegar, 

 dilute mineral acids), astringents (sugar of lead, tannin, matico, 

 alum) into the womb, and give small doses of acetate of lead 

 or ergot of rye by the mouth. In desperate cases a large 

 sponge soaked in tincture of the muriate of iron may be intro- 

 duced into the womb and emptied by squeezing. If the patient 

 is sinking it may often be saved by transfusion of blood from 

 another animal. 



Retained Afterbirth. — Causes. — Premature parturition, 

 poverty of condition, too hurried delivery, and failure to estab' 

 lish subsequent contractions, adhesions, the result of pre exist' 

 ing inflammation in the womb, etc. 



If not removed it rots away piecemeal, a portion remaining 

 and putrefjing in the womb, causing irritation, discharge, rapid 

 loss of condition and milk, and in some cases absorption of 

 putrid matter and poisoning. 



Treatment. — Various methods are followed. i. Attach a 

 pound weight to the mass, so that the constant tugging may 

 stimulate the womb to contraction and expulsion of the after- 

 birth. 2. Seize the mass close up to the vulva between two 

 pieces of wood and dragging gently move it from side to side to 



