roiisiox ay the i'tkrus. .{19 



pains succeed each other more rapiilly, and become more energetic, yet 

 birth does not seem to advance ; the "water-bag " does not show itself, 

 and nothing appears externally. This condition niay persist for six, 

 twelve, twenty-four, and even forty-eight hours ; when, if not before, 

 the veterinarian is perhaps requested to attend. 



In other instances, however, the symptoms are more marked and 

 severe during this lirst period. The animal ap[)ears to suffer from the 

 pain of intense uterine and abdominal spasms, marked by violent strain- 

 ing, which comes on at longer or shorter intervals ; it moves about 

 anxiously ; paws energetically now and again ; attempts to lie down ; 

 rests on its chest or sits like a dog on its hind-quarters ; springs up 

 suddenly, and often with a bound. The pulse is quickened, the skin 

 becomes alternately hot and cold, moist and dry ; and the expulsive 

 efforts, though so violent, are of course futile. 



In many instances, after a period varying from twelve to forty-eight 

 hours, these symptoms may disappear, and the animal seems to have 

 recovered, for the time at least, its ordinary health. To such an extent 

 does this occur, that it might be believed the period of ))irth had not 

 arrived, and that the symptoms were only those of " false pains." 



In the course of from one to six days, howevei", this normal quietude 

 is interrupted by the recurrence of the labour pains, and in so urgent a 

 form that there can no longer be any doubt as to real attempts at 

 delivery. But still the efforts are not succeeded by any tangible 

 evidence that birth is making progress. As some obstacle to the expul- 

 sion of the ftetus now evidently intervenes, a manual examination will 

 probably be made by the veterinarian, if he has chanced to be called in, 

 and after he has heard the history of the case and noted the general 

 symptoms. 



The oiled hand, on being introduced into the vagina, meets at first 

 with no obstacle in that canal ; but on advancing into it, the fingers 

 soon encounter one or more folds or ruga^ which render the passage 

 more and more constricted towards the cervix uteri. Towards the 

 termination of the vagina, the fingers reach a kind of citl-dc-sac, formed 

 by the mucous folds, which at this part converge in a spiral manner, 

 their direction being either to the right or left. .Mthough at first 

 there appears to be no passage, yet it will be found that by turning 

 the hand in the same spiral direction as the cavity winds, or rather the 

 rugie incline, the fingers will be able to penetrate to a certain depth ; 

 and if one of the most prominent ridges be followed in this way, it will 

 be discovered that it has a corkscrew-like course. 



This is the pathognomonic or distinctive symptom of torsion of the 

 uterus, and it is not found in simple deviation or obliquity of the organ. 

 In the latter condition there is no spiral twisting or rug;e, but merely a 

 fold of mucous membrane passing from behind forward, in an oblique 

 manner ; while tiie hand can be i)assed with little ditliculty to the 

 cervix, the os of which is usually found dilated. It is only this 

 fold of membrane, in uterine deviation, which prevents the passage 

 of the fcEtus througli the os, by hindering uniform pressure on the 

 cervix. 



The kind of spiral infundibulum into which the hand penetrates in 

 torsion of the uterus, varies in dimensions according to the amount of 

 torsion. In the quarter-turn or revolution, it may be possible to get 

 the hand into the constriction, though with difficulty, and to reach so 

 far as to touch the neck of the uterus, which may be more or less 



