DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 327 



Plate 18. — This is a form of dropsy of the abdo- 

 men, called ascites, which is sometimes met with ; 

 and on account of the distended abdomen it would 

 be impossible for it to pass through the passage. 

 Once I was called to see a mare that the owner had 

 been trying to deliver for several hours without 

 success. The head and fore feet were born, but he 

 had made no progress, although considerable force 

 had been used, and it would not budge, as the 

 farmer said. I pushed the foetus back into the 

 womb (that part of it born), and examined the body 

 and found it very much distended with fluid. 



Mode of operation: Place a small knife in the 

 hollow of the hand and introduce it into the womb, 

 press the blade of the knife into the abdomen of 

 the foetus and the water will escape, the belly will 

 collapse, and delivery will be accomplished easily. 



Embryotomy, or the Cutting Away of the Foetus. 

 — This is no easy operation, but ought to be tried 

 when all other means fail. The difficulty in this 

 operation is the hand of the operator soon becomes 

 useless on account of the violent straining of the 

 mother pressing the foetus into the passage. The 

 hand is squeezed between it and the bones of the 

 pelvis and it soon has the feeling as if it were para- 

 lyzed and has no power to operate. Having de- 

 cided to operate, our first object will be (if a fore 

 limb) to remove it. This is best done by conceal- 

 ing a small knife in the palm of the hand (a knife 

 with a ring for the finger is the best) ; make a deep 

 incision from the fetlock to the shoulder of the foe- 

 tus. The skin should then be separated from the 



