210 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



must be invariably -warmed before they are introduced, and they should 

 be smeared with lard or oil to make them pass easily and without fric- 

 tion. The assistant who is pushing on the instrument must be warned 

 to stop if at any time resistance gives way. This may mean the turning 

 of the fetus, in which case the object of repulsion has been accomplished ; 

 but much more probably it implies the displacement of the instrument 

 from the body of the fetus, and unguarded pressure may drive it through 

 the walls of the womb. 



When the calf entered the passage with its back turned down toward 

 the belly and udder, the bending back of the fore limbs is rare, prob- 

 ably because the feet can find a straighter and more uniform surface of 

 resistance in the upper wall of the womb and the backbone, and do not 

 slide over a crest into an open cavity as they do over the brim of the 

 pelvis. The weight of the calf, too, gravitating downward, leaves more 

 room for the straightening of the bent limbs, so that the desired relief 

 is much more easily secured. The manipulation is the same in prin- 

 ciple, only one must add the precaution of a steady traction on the feet 

 in extraction, lest, owing to the adverse curvature of the fetus, the 

 hoofs be suddenly forced through the roof of the vagina., and, perhaps, 

 the rectum as well, during a specially powerful labor pain. 



When the back of the calf is turned to the right side or the left, the 

 main difference is that in addition to straightening the limbs the fetus 

 must be rotated to turn its back upward before extraction is attempted. 

 In this case, too, it may be difficult to bring up and straighten the lower 

 of the two limbs until the body has been rotated into its proper posi- 

 tion. Cord the upper straightened limb and head, then rotate the body, 

 and search for the second missing limb. 



FORE LIMBS BEXT BACK FROM THE SHOULDERS. 



This is an exaggeration of the condition just named, and is much 

 more difficult to remedy, owing to the distance and inaccessibility of the 

 missing limb. It usually happens with the proper position of the body, 

 the back of the calf being turned toward the back of the mother. The 

 head presents in the passage, and may even protrude from the vulva 

 during an active labor pain, but it starts back like a spring when the 

 straining ceases. Examination with the oiled hand in the intervals 

 between the pains fails to detect the missing limb or limbs. (Plate xvr, 

 Fig. 1.) If, however, the hand can be introduced during a pain it may 

 be possible to reach the elbow or upper part of the fore arm. In the 

 absence of a pain a halter or noose on the head maj^beused to advance 

 the whole body until the forearm can be seized just below the elbow. 

 This being firmly held, and the head or body pushed back into the 

 womb, room may be secured for bringing up the knee. The forearm is 

 used as a lever, its upper part being strongly forced back while its 

 lower part is pressed forward. If a pain supervenes the hold must be 

 retained, and whatever gain has been made must be held if possible. 



