194 PATHOLOGY OF PREGNANCY. 



contusions or strains, the viscus being generally only covered by the 

 skin. It is rare in young animals. 



In the Cow it is not at all unusual to observe the hernial tumour in 

 front of the pubis, towards the attachment of the rectus muscle, and near 

 the udder ; here it may be of a great size, extending as low as the hocks, 

 pushing the mammary gland to one side, reaching as far forward as the 

 floating ribs, and containing, in addition, other of the abdominal viscera 

 than the uterus and its contents. This tumour impedes movement ; the 

 hind limbs are kept widely separated, and the animal is much incon- 

 venienced. 



With the Bitch, ventral hysterocele has been noted in two regions — 

 above the mammae, where it might be mistaken for a scirrhus tumour ; 

 and in one of the labia of the vulva, beneath the skin. 



In the larger animals, the foetus may sometimes be felt in the tumour, 

 and its movements may be noticed ; though, owing to its being so low, 

 it cannot be reached from the rectum. 



Very often, excepting the inconvenience to the female, hysterocele 

 does not interfere with gestation, nor give rise to any serious symptoms ; 

 though, in some cases, it may render parturition laborious and protracted, 

 if not impossible. In other cases this act may be accomplished without 

 difficulty or extraneous aid ; Cows which have been ruptured from the 

 perineum to the ribs have calved easily enough ; and Leconte alludes to 

 a Mare which had a uterine hernia nearly as extensive as this, and yet 

 brought forth four living Foals in succession. 



Nevertheless, it is somewhat of a risk to attempt to breed from such 

 animals. When treating of difficult parturition, we shall have occasion 

 to return to this subject. In the meantime, it is only necessary to say 

 that in order to obviate serious consequences, the hernia should be 

 supported by a wide bandage until the uterine contents are expelled. 

 Should circumstances render it necessary, abortion may be artificially 

 induced, or hysterotomy may be performed. 



It may be observed that care is necessary in diagnosing mammary 

 uterine hernia in the Bitch, so as not to mistake it for a mammary 

 tumour. I have known of one blunder of this kind, and have heard of 

 another in which an operation was performed for the removal of the 

 tumour, in which two foetuses were found, and the Bitch subsequently 

 died. In my case no operation was attempted, and though the hernia 

 was somewhat large, yet the animal brought forth her Puppies without 

 any apparent difficulty. 



Ante-pabtum Euptuee op the Uterus. 



Rupture of the uterus may happen before and during parturition, or 

 in attempts to reduce the organ when inversion has occurred during 

 that act. The accident has been observed in the Cow, Sheep, Goat, 

 and Bitch ; it is not very common before gestation has terminated, and 

 the symptoms by which it can be diagnosed are not very reliable. 

 Spontaneous rupture of the uterus usually occurs at the anterior part of 

 the organ, between the two cornua, or even in the cornua themselves ; 

 the direction of the rupture generally depending on the direction of the 

 muscular fibres — being sometimes diagonal, at other times transversal, 

 and more rarely longitudinal. The size of the rupture also varies con- 

 siderably ; though it must be remembered that in the dead animal 

 ruptures only appear in their original dimensions when the uterus had 



