165 



■\voml3 will readily delect the spiral dii'eotion of the folds on its inner 

 surface. 



The method of relief -whicli I have successfully adopted in the cow 

 may be equall)^ happj'^ in the mare. The dam is placed (witli her 

 head uphill) on her rij?ht side if the upper folds of the spiral turn 

 toward the right, and on her left side if they turn toward the left, 

 and the oiled hand is introduced through the neck of the womb and a 

 limb or other part of the body of the foetus is seized and pressed 

 against the wall of the womb, while two or three assistants turn the 

 animal over her back toward the other side. The object is to keep 

 the womb stationary while the animal is rolling. If success attends 

 the effort, the constriction around the arm is suddenly relaxed, the 

 spiral folds ai'e effaced, and the water-bags and f(ptus press forward 

 into the passage. If the first attempt does not succeed it may be 

 repeated again and again until success crowns the effort. Among my 

 occasional causes of failure have been the prior death and decouiix)- 

 sition of the foetus, with the extrication of gas and overdistention of 

 the womb, and the supervention of inflammation and inflammatory 

 exudation around the neck of the womb, which hinders untwisting. 

 The first of these conditions occurs early in the horse from the detach- 

 ment of the fcfital membranes from the wall of the womb, and as the 

 mare is more subject to- fatal peritonitis than the cow, it may be con- 

 cluded that both these sources of failure are more probable in the 

 equine subject. 



When the case is intractable, though the hand may l)e easih- intro- 

 duced, the instrument shown in Plate YIII, Fig. 7, may be used. 

 Each hole at the small end of the instrument has i^assed through it a 

 stout cord with a running noose, to be passed around two feet or 

 other portion of the foetus which it may be possible to reach. The 

 cords are then drawn tight and fixed around the handle of the instru- 

 ment, then by using the cross-handle as a lever the foetus and womb 

 may be rotated in a direction opposite to that causing the obstruction. 

 During this process the hand must be introduced to feel when the 

 twist has been undone. This method ma}^ be supplemented, if neces- 

 sarj% b}^ rolling the mare as described above. 



EFFUSION OF BLOOD IX THE VAGINAL WALLS. 



This is common as a result of diflficult parturition, but it may occur 

 from local injury before that act, and may seriously interfere with it. 

 This condition is easily recognized by the soft, doughy swelling so 

 characteristic of blood clots, and b}' the dark red color of the mucous 

 membrane. I have laid open such swellings witli the knife as late as 

 ten days before parturition, evacuated the clots, and di-essed the wound 

 daily with an astringent lotion (sulphate of zinc 1 dram, carbolic acid 

 1 dram, water 1 quart). A similar resort might be had, if necessary, 

 during parturition. 



