178 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



in the natural way. If the enhirged head is turned backward it must 

 still be reached and punctured, after which it must be brought up 

 into position and the calf delivered. 



If the hind feet present first, all may go well until the body and 

 shoulders have passed out, when further progress is suddenly ar- 

 rested by the great bulk of the head. If possible, the hand, armed 

 with a knife or trocar, must be passed along the side of the shoulder 

 or neck so as to reach and puncture the distended head. Failing in 

 this, the body may be skinned up from the belly and cut in two at the 

 shoulder or neck, after which the head can easily be reached and 

 punctured. If in such case the fore limbs have been left in the 

 womb, they may now be brought up into the passage, and when 

 dragged upon the collapsed head will follow. 



If the distention is not sufficient to have rendered the bony walls of 

 the cranium thin and fragile, so that they can be compressed with the 

 hand after puncture, a special method may be necessary. A long 

 incision should be made from behind forward in the median line of 

 the cranium with an embryotomy knife (PL XXI, fig. 1) or with a 

 long embryotome (PL XX, fig. 3). By this means the bones on the 

 one side are completely separated from those on the other and may 

 be made to overlap and perhaps to flatten down. If this fails they 

 may be cut from the head all around the base of the rounded cranial 

 swelling by means of a guarded chisel (PL XX, fig. 8) and mallet, 

 after which there will be no difficulty in causing them to collapse. 



DROPSY OF THE ABDOMEN OF THE CALF (ASCITES). 



This is less frequent than hydrocephalus, but no less difficult to 

 deal with. With an anterior presentation the fore limbs and head 

 may come away easily enough, but no effort will advance the calf 

 beyond the shoulders. The first thought should be dropsy of the 

 belly, and the oiled hand introduced by the side of the chest will 

 detect the soft and fluctuating yet tense sac of the abdomen. If there 

 is space to allow of the introduction of an embryotomy loiife, the 

 abdomen may be freely cut with this, when the fluid will escape into 

 the womb and parturition may proceed naturally. If this can not 

 be effected, a long trocar and cannula may be passed between the first 

 two ribs and straight on beneath the spine until it punctures the 

 abdomen. (PL XVIII, fig. 2.) Then the trocar is to be withdrawn 

 and the liquid will flow through the cannula and will be hastened by 

 traction on the fore limbs. In the absence of the trocar and cannula, 

 two or three of the first ribs may be cut from the breastbone, so that 

 the hand may be introduced through the chest to puncture the dia- 

 phragm with an embryotomy knife and allow an escape of the water. 

 In some slighter cases a tardy delivery may take place without punc- 

 ture, the liquid bulging forward into the chest as the abdomen is 



