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Stone in the hladder. — Yesical calculus, — Cystic calculus. — These may be 

 of any size up to over a pound weight. One variety is rough and 

 crystalline and has a yellowish white or deep brown color. These con- 

 tain about 87 per cent, carbonate of lime, the remainder being carbonate 

 of magnesia, oxalate of lime, and organic matter. The phosphatic cal- 

 culi are smooth and white and formed of thin concentric layers of great 

 hardness extending from the nucleus outward. Beside the phosphate 

 of lime these contain the carbonates of lime and magnesia and organic 

 matter. In some cases the bladder contains and may be even distended 

 by a soft pultaceous mass made up of minute round granules of carbon- 

 ates of lime and magnesia. This, when removed and dried, makes a 

 firm, white, stony mass. Sometimes this magma is condensed into a 

 solid mass in the bladder by reason of the binding action of the mucus 

 and other organic matter, and then forms a conglomerate stone of nearly 

 uniform consistency and without stratification. 



The symptoms of stone in the bladder are more obvious than those of 

 renal calculus. The rough mulberry calculi especially lead to irritation 

 of the mucous membrane and frequent passing of urine in small quan- 

 tities and often mingled with mucus or blood, or containing minute 

 gritty particles. At times the flow is suddenly arrested, though the 

 animal continues to strain and the bladder is not quite emptied. In 

 the smooth phosphatic variety the irritation is much less marked, and 

 may even be altogether absent. With the pultaceous deposit in the 

 bladder there is incontinence of urine, which dribbles away continually 

 and keeps the hair on the inner side of the thighs matted with soft 

 magma. In all cases alike the calculus may be felt by the examination 

 of the bladder with the oiled hand in the rectum. The pear-sbaped 

 outline of the bladder can be felt beneath, and within it the solid oval 

 body. It is most easily recognized if the organ is half full of liquid, as 

 then it is not grasped by the contracting walls of the bladder, but may 

 be made to move from place to place in the liquid. If a pultaceous 

 mass is present it has a soft, doughy feeling, and when pressed an in- 

 dentation is left. 



In the mare the hard stone may be touched by the finger introduced 

 through the short urethra. 



The treatment of stone in the bladder consists in the removal of the 

 offending body. In the mare this is easily effected with the lithotomy 

 forceps. These are slightly warmed and oiled, and carried forward 

 along the floor of the passage of the vulva for 4 inches, when the ori- 

 fice of the urethra will be felt exactly in the median line. Through 

 this the forceps are gradually pushed with gentle oscillating movement 

 until they enter the bladder and strike against the hard surface of the 

 stone. The stone is now grasped between the blades, care being taken 

 to include no loose fold of the mucous membrane, and it is gradually 

 withdrawn with the same careful oscillating motions as before. Facility 

 and safety in seizing the stone will be greatly favored by having the 



