•3U MATERNAL DYSTOKIA. 



tunately, not always — nor indeed very often — present in torsion of this 

 viscus. Liautard and some others, however, while admitting that the 

 apparatus is not very easily applied, yet testify to its utility. 



The apparatus is composed of three rods (x\, A', A" ; Fig. 94) ; of a 

 winch (B) ; of a screw, with a movable screw-nut (D), pierced by three 

 holes ; and, finally, three cords (E, E', E") with a loop (F). The end 

 of each rod (G), a little thickened, has a longitudinal hole (H) ; the 

 other extremity (I) has a hole punched through it, and a shoulder (K). 

 This end of the thi'ee rods is inserted into the three holes of the winch. 



The apparatus is put together for use in the following manner : — The 

 cords are fastened by their loop (F) to the tw^o pasterns and the lower 

 jaw of the foetus, and serve as points of attachment as well as con- 

 ductors to the rods. With this object the obstetrist passes them, one 

 by one, through the hole (H) in each rod ; then, by one hand, he seizes 

 the extremity (I), and with the second hand the other end (G) ; direct- 

 ing the latter towards the part of the foetus to be pulled at, an assistant 

 who keeps the cord tense passes this through the hole (I). This done, 

 each rod is inserted in one of the openings of the winch, the screw (C) 

 is pushed through the middle hole, and the cords are passed through 

 the holes in the nut (D) of the screw (C), by means of which they are 

 made as tight as may be necessary. 



The apparatus may be used either while the Cow is standing or lying 

 on its back. By turning the handle of the winch in a contrary direction 

 to the torsion, counter- torsion is at once effected without difficulty, and 

 without causing the animal any fatigue. If the resistance is at all 

 great, the operator entrusts the instrument to the assistant, passes his 

 hand into the uterus, presses on the head of the Calf, and in this way aids 

 the action of the retroversor. Parturition then takes place naturally. 



6. EoTATioN OF THE Cow's BoDY. — The methods of Denoc and 

 Darreau are likely to be useful only in cases in which the uterus is 

 slightly twisted ; and in these instances, and others in which the 

 torsion is much greater, the method about to be considered is so simple, 

 attended with so little danger, and hitherto has yielded such favourable 

 results, that it is certainly to be preferred, unless vaginal taxis can be 

 resorted to with every chance of speedy success. This method consists 

 in rolling the animal affected with uterine torsion, in such a manner 

 that the twist which forms an obstacle to parturition is effaced, and 

 the genital passages are open for the passage of the foetus. 



This method has been in vogue for a long time, and its introduction 

 is due, according to Dieterichs, of the Berlin Veterinary School, to 

 Fricke, a Hanoverian veterinary surgeon. At least this would appear 

 to be the fact from what Dieterichs has stated with regard to Denoc's 

 procedure in 1845,^ when he says that not only had Schmidt, Vix, 

 Irminger, and Schenker — all German veterinarians — mentioned the 

 occurrence of torsion of the uterus ; but that Fricke, in addition, cured 

 a Cow of the accident by tying its feet, two and two, then rolling it, 

 taking care to move it in a contrary direction to that in which the 

 torsion had been produced. 



Strebel, howevei% asserts that Eichner of Berne recommended 



rolling before either German or French veterinary surgeons did — the 



move to be made in a direction the opposite of the uterine twist, the 



Cow's body to be higher behind than before. However this may be, 



^- Becueil de Mcdecine Veterinaire, 1845. 



