DYSTOKIA F/:ti.]f l>lsl'LA<'h:.\i EST i>F Tllh: CTERUS. -I'M 



living or entire fct'tus to he impossible, particularly when we remember 

 that the young creature soon perishes. 



With the Cow, however, the case is somewhat dillVreiit, as when 

 delivery is unsuccessful this animal may be killed and utilised as food. 

 Kmbryotomy is, nevertheless, often resorted to before the case is con- 

 sidered hopeless ; and not at all infrequently with good results, so far 

 as the Cow is concerned. 



We shall treat of embryotomy hereafter ; but it may be useful to 

 mention here that, in an anterior presentation, removal of one or both 

 of the fore limbs at the scapula of the fditus, will often allow the remain- 

 ing portions to be removed by traction. With a posterior presentation, 

 excision of one hind leg is frequently suflicient to permit the body of the 

 fcttus to be drawn through the passage. 



o. Establish .\n Artifici.vl Pass.\ge ioh thk Fcetus. — When all 

 the preceding means have been recognised as impracticable or too 

 dangerous, there yet remains another which, though it may place the 

 life of the mother in great jeopardy, and should be considered only as 

 a last and a most serious expedient, may be I'esorted to : this is the 

 Cifsarian section, or gastro-hysterotomy — an operation to be described 

 hereafter. It may only be noted in this place, that a formidable opera- 

 tion, such as this is, should be resorted to early, and before the female is 

 much exhausted by inellicacious manipulations and impotent labour 

 pains. 



CHAPTER II. 



Dystokia from Displacement or Changed Relations of the 



Uterus. 



Delivkry may be rendered dillicult by displacement or altered relations 

 of the organ containing the foetus — the uterus, either from hernia of 

 that organ through a natural or accidental opening in the abdominal 

 parietes ; from deviations in its direction, whereby the os is no longer 

 in the axis of the pelvis; or torsion of the organ, due to its having made a 

 revolution or become twisted on its own axis — a singular displacement 

 that well merits attention. 



Hernia of the Utekis — Hysterocele. 



Every kind of ventral hernia may be viewed as more or less tending 

 to dystokia, from the important share the abdominal muscles assume 

 in the act of parturition ; and when there is a tendency to hernia of any 

 of the organs in this cavity, or when a hernia really exists, this is likely 

 to be increased during labour, and may complicate delivery. But the 

 case is generally all the more serious if the displaced organ is the gravid 

 uterus itself. 



Hernia of the uterus is certainly not a vet}' common accident; never- 

 theless, it is far from being rare, if we are to judge by the instances 

 recorded in veterinary literature, and it has been observed in the Mare, 

 Cow, Sheep, Sow, Goat, and Bitch— in all the more important domesti- 

 cated animals, in fact, and has often proved a very serious obstacle to 

 parturition. 



