514 OBSTETRICAL OPEEATIOSS. 



forms and dimensions, so as to be able to select that which is best 

 adapted to meet the requirements of particular cases. 



It must be observed, also, that many practitioners are not in favour 

 of crotchets, and decry their use. But there is something unreason- 

 able in this, and the experience of almost every day goes to prove that 

 these instruments afford a simple and ready means of getting hold of 

 the foetus in regions of its body which the hand cannot possibly reach, 

 or if it did, where it could do very little service either from the shape 

 of the part, its slipperiness, or the paralysing effect of the uterine con- 

 tractions on the hand and arm of the operator. They can also be 

 profitably employed in cases in which cords and halters are useless ; 

 for not only will they serve in allowing traction to be made on parts 

 which actually present at the inlet, but they can also be utilised in 

 effecting those mutations which are necessary in order to bring par- 

 ticular parts of the young creature in front of the pelvic opening or 

 through the genital canal, and which the hand could not seize or 

 move. 



It is no doubt true that the sharp or pointed crotchets have certain 

 disadvantages which must not be lost sight of, and which lead to pre- 

 ference being given to the cords or halter when they can be employed. 

 In the first place, their introduction into the uterus is not such an 

 easy matter as it might appear without trial or consideration ; for the 

 contractions of this organ may paralyse the hand which carries the in- 

 strument and cause it to escape, or its point to wound either the mother 

 or the operator. Their employment often produces serious lesions 

 in the body of the foetus, which are certainly of no importance when it 

 is dead, but may be of much consequence should it be alive. Then, 

 again, the tissues into which they are implanted are not very firm or 

 resisting, so that only a moderate degree of traction can be expected 

 from them, and which is often insufficient to overcome the resistance that 

 prevents the birth of the foetus. In such a case, if, through forgetful- 

 ness or maladroitness of the operator, the tissues suddenly give way 

 and the crotchet slips into the maternal organs, serious, if not fatal, 

 injuries may be inflicted ; or the hand or arm of the operator may be 

 the part to suffer. 



These are undoubtedly disadvantages of a weighty kind; never- 

 theless, the veterinary obstetrist has always to contend with disad- 

 vantages in cases of dystokia, and must overcome them by prudence, 

 patience, and skill. When using the crotchet the same qualities must 

 be brought to bear. His hand must diligently guide it, and note its 

 effects and movements ; while, at the same time, he must vigilantly 

 exercise his judgment in directing his assistants as to the amount and 

 direction of the force they are to use, so as to proportion it according 

 to the resistance of the tissues in which the crotchet is fixed, and to 

 desist from traction as soon as there is a likelihood of the instrument 

 breaking away or slipping. With the evidence before us as to the 

 numerous and incontestable advai:itages offered by these appliances, 

 and the knowledge that their disadvantages can be overcome by intelli- 

 gent watchfulness, there is every reason to recommend their adoption 

 in those cases which call for their employment. 



" In all cases where the head of the foetus is back," Cartwright says, 

 " I am very partial to using the long sharp-pointed hook in the orbit ; 

 even if the head is at the extreme distance, with care we can insert it in 

 the orbit and get the head in the passage. Of course, it requires great 



