DISEASES OF THE GEXEEATIVE OEGANS. 183 



and the wall of the womb. These dry surfaces stick with such tenac- 

 ity that no attem^Dt at traction leads to any advance of the calf out of 

 the womb or into the passages. AMien the fetus is advanced the 

 adherent womb advances with it, and when the strain is relaxed both 

 recede to where they were at first. The condition may be hel}3ed 

 somewhat by the free injection of oil into the womb, but it remains 

 impossible to extract the enormously bloated body, and the only 

 resort is to cut it in pieces and extract it by degi-ees. (See " Embryo- 

 tomy," p. 204.) 



KIGID CONTRACTIOXS OF MUSCLES. 



In the development of the calf, as in after life, the muscles are 

 subject to cramps, and in certain cases given groups of muscles re- 

 main unnaturally short, so that even the bones grow in a twisted and 

 distorted way. In one case the head and neck are drawn round to 

 one side and can not be straightened out, even the bones of the face 

 and the nose being curved around to that side. In other cases the 

 flexor muscles of the fore legs are so shortened that the knees are 

 kept constantly bent and can not be extended by force. The bent 

 neck may sometimes be sufficiently straightened for extraction by 

 cutting across the muscles on the side to which it is turned, and the 

 bent knees by cutting the cords on the back of the shank bones just 

 below the knees. If this fails, there remains the resort of cutting 

 off the distorted limbs or head. (See " Embryotomy," p. 20-i.) 



TUMORS OF THE CAUF ( INCLOSED OVUM). 



Tumors or new gi'owths grow on the unborn calf as on the mature 

 animal, and by increasing the diameter of the body render its prog- 

 ress through the passage of the pelvis impossible. In my exi>erience 

 with large fleshy tumors of the abdomen, I have cut open the chest, 

 removed the lungs and heart, cut through the diaphragm with the 

 knife, and removed the tumor piecemeal by alternate tearing and 

 cutting until the volume of the body was sufficiently reduced to pass 

 through. A^Hiere this failed it would remain to cut off the anterior 

 part of the body, removing as much of the chest as possible, and cut- 

 ting freely through the diaphragm ; then, pushing back the remainder 

 of the body, the hind limbs may be seized and brought into the pas- 

 sages and the residue thus extracted. The tumor, unless very large, 

 will get displaced backward so as not to prove an insuperable obstacle. 



In many cases the apparent tumor is a blighted ovum which has 

 failed to develop, but has grafted itself on its more fortunate twin 

 and from it has drawn its nourishment. These are usually sacs con- 

 taining hair, skin, muscle, bone, or other natural tissues, and only 

 exceptionally do they show the distinct outline of the animal. 



