DISEASES OF THE GENEBATWE ORGANS. 209 



REMOVAL OF THE CONTENTS OF CHEST OR ABDOMEN. 



If the body of the calf sticks fast in the passages by reason of the 

 mere dryness of its skin and of the passages, the obstacle may be 

 removed by injecting sweet oil past the fetus into the womb through 

 a rubber or other tube, and smearing the passages freely w4th lard. 

 When the obstruction depends on excess of size of the chest or abdo- 

 men or thickening of the body from distorted spine, much advantage 

 may be derived from the removal of the contents of these great cavi- 

 ties of the trunk. We have already seen how the haunches may be 

 narrowed by cutting the bones apart in the median line below and 

 causing their free edges to overlap each other. Tlie abdomen can be 

 cut open by the embryotomy knife or the long embryotome in the 

 median line, or at any point, and the contents pulled out with the 

 hand, the knife being used in any case when especial resistance is 

 encountered. If the abdomen is so firmly impacted that it can not be 

 dealt with in this way, one hind limb and the hip bone on the same 

 side may be removed as described under "Amputation of the hind 

 limbs." page 207. This will allow^ the introduction of the hand into 

 the abdomen from behind, so as to pull out the contents. By intro- 

 ducing an embryotomy knife in the palm of the hand and cutting 

 through the muscle of the diaphragm the interior of the chest can 

 be reached in the same way and the heart and lungs removed. 



When, in dealing with an 'anterior presentation, it becomes neces- 

 sary to remove the contents of the chest, the usual course is to cut 

 through the connections of the ribs with the breastbone (the costal 

 cartilages) close to the breastbone on each side, and from the abdo- 

 men forward to the neck. Then cut through the muscles connecting 

 the front of the breastbone with the neck and its hinder end with the 

 belly, and pull out the entire breastbone. Having torn out the heart 

 and lungs with the hand, make the rib cartilages on the one side over- 

 lap those on the other, so as to lessen the thickness of the chest, and 

 proceed to extract the body. If it seems needful to empty the abdo- 

 men as well, it is easy to reach it by cutting through the diaphragm, 

 which separates it from the chest. 



DELIVERY THROUGH THE FLANK (CESAREAN SECTION, OR LAPAROTOMY). 



This is sometimes demanded, when the distortion and narrowing of 

 the hip bones are such as to forbid the passage of the calf, or w4ien 

 inflammation has practically closed the natural passages and the 

 progeny is more valuable and worthy of being saved than the dam; 

 also in cases in which the cow has been fatally injured, or is ill beyond 

 possibility of recovery and yet carries a living calf. It is too often a 

 last resort after long and fruitless efforts to deliver by the natural 

 16923°— 12 14 



