165 



and the walls of the womb and vagina have become so dry that it ia 

 impracticable to cause the one to glide on the other. The hair comes 

 off any part that may be seized, and the case is rendered the more of- 

 fensive and dangerous by the very fetid liquids and gases. The only 

 resort is embryotomy, by which 1 have succeeded in saving a valuable 

 mare that had carried a colt in this condition for four days. 



CONTRACTIONS OF MUSCLES. 



The foal is not always developed symmetrically, but certain groups 

 of muscles are liable to remain short or to shorten because of persistent 

 spasmodic contraction, so that even the bones become distorted and 

 twisted. This is most common in the neck. The bones of this part 

 and even of the face are drawn to one side and shortened, the head 

 being held firmly to the flank and the jaws being twisted to the right 

 or left. In other cases the flexor muscles of the fore limbs are con- 

 tracted so that these members are strongly bent at the knee. In neither 

 of these cases can the distorted part be extended and straightened, so 

 that body or limbs must necessarily iiresent double, and natural deliv- 

 ery is rendered impossible. The bent neck "may sometimes be straight- 

 ened after the muscles have been cut on the side to which it is turned, 

 and the bent limbs after the tendons on the back of the shank bone have 

 been cut across. Failing to accomplish this, the next resort is to em- 

 bryotomy. 



TUMORS OF THE FCETUS — INCLOSED OVUM. 



Tumors or diseased growths may form on any part of the foal, in- 

 ternal or external, and by their size impede or hinder parturition. In 

 some cases what appears as a tumor is an imprisoned and undeveloped 

 ovum, which has grafted itself on the fcetus. These are usually saccu- 

 lated and may contain skin, hair, muscle, bone, and other natural tissues. 

 The only course to be pursued in such cases is to excise the tumor, or, 

 if this is not feasible, to perform embryotomy. 



MONSTROSITIES. 



Monstrosity in the foal is an occasional cause of difflcult parturition, 

 especially such monsters as show excessiv^e development of some part 

 of the body, a displacement or distortion of parts, or a redundancy of 

 parts, as in double monsters. Monsters may be divided into — 



(1) Monsters with absence of parts — absence of head, limb, or other 

 organ. 



(2') Monsters with some i)art abnormally small — dwarfed head, limb, 

 trunk, etc. 



(3) Monsters through unnatural division of parts — cleft head, trunk, 

 limbs, etc. 



(4) Monsters through absence of natural divisions — absence of mouth, 

 nose, eyes, anus, confluent digits, etc. 



