Rtipture of the Periiieum and Recto- Vaginal Fistula 269 



not, the abnormal position constantly invites sterility by causing 

 a failure in coition. 



The difficulty may be overcome in most cases, and copulation 

 rendered safe, by means of standing the female with the posterior 

 feet somewhat lower than the anterior and having the male 

 stand upon ground approximately level with, or higher than, 

 the ground upon which the anterior feet of the female rest. 

 This position of the female tends to bring the vulvar opening 

 somewhat nearer the perpendicular and con.sequently renders 

 copulation more certain. In the mare, also, the penis of the 

 stallion may be largely directed by the groom in a manner to 

 avoid accident and render copulation more secure. 



14. Rupture of the Perineum and Recto-Vaginal 

 Fistula. 



Rupture of the perineum or of the wall between the rectum 

 and the vagina is not rare in the mare as a result of some por- 

 tion of the foal, such as the head or a foot, pushing up into the 

 rectum and appearing at the anus, while the other parts enter 

 the vulva, wdien, unless prompt relief is given, a few violent ex- 

 pulsive efforts on the part of the mare forces the foal out and 

 tears the perineum asunder. If the attendance is prompt, the 

 mi.sdirected head or foot may be pushed back into the vagina, 

 after it has entered the rectum, and complete rupture of the 

 perineum averted, but, as a result of the accident, a fistula gen- 

 erally persists, leading from the rectum into the vagina. 



In either case, fecal matter drops from the rectum into the va- 

 gina and maintains a constant irritation of the mucosa of the 

 vagina, with catarrhal discharge. 



When the perineum is ruptured, the deformity of the part is 

 such that copulation cannot usually be successfully performed, 

 and, even if it can be, the presence of fecal matter in the vagina, 

 with the consequent inflammation and catarrh, generally prevents 

 fertilization. 



Sterility due to this cause can only be removed, with any de- 

 gree of certainty, by bringing about a recovery from the fistula 

 or rupture. In .some cases of this kind the sterility may be 

 overcome by means of artificial impregnation. The more or less 

 befouled vagina may be flushed out with a warm saline solution 

 or even with weak antiseptics, after which semen, preferably 



