ABNORMALITIES OP THE FCETUS 185 



the moment when the withers come opposite to the pelvic 

 inlet, birth is retarded. On examination the head is found 

 resting on the fore legs, the calf's chin resting upon the claws. 

 The latter is due to the fact that the elbows, on account of the 

 fleshy shoulders, cannot enter the pelvic canal, and the anterior 

 limbs remain a little behind. When chin and claws lie in the 

 vulva at the same time, it is frequently an indication of an ex- 

 cess of volume of the calf. 



Dilatation is mostly complete, preparation for both having 

 extended over quite some time. In the posterior presentation, 

 with the hind legs in the parturient passages, the posterior 

 limbs have sufficiently advanced to protrude beyond the vulva 

 at each pain ; as a rule, one leg appears up to the fetlocks and 

 about one-half of the metatarsal bone of the other. Parturi- 

 tion is difficult, as the trochanteric diameter exceeds the pelvic 

 dimensions. The thin tail and the strongly developed gluteal 

 muscles detected on exploration suggest the double-ender. 



The owner always attempts to extract the calf. When in 

 an anterior presentation he secures the fetlocks, and with the 

 aid of other people an attempt is made to extract the calf. In 

 some cases, where the cow is well developed and has a wide 

 pelvis, extraction may succeed, but in most cases the calf is 

 partly extracted, and when the withers are caught in the vulva, 

 parturition comes to a standstill. The trochanteric diameter, 

 as well as the distance between the patellae, may be too great 

 for the diameters of the pelvis. 



In posterior presentations, with the hind legs in the par- 

 turient passages, the owner also pulls here, and often success- 

 fully. After the posterior extremities are once delivered, the 

 anterior portion of the body rarely interferes with parturi- 

 tion. 



But in many cases the attendant does not succeed in ex- 

 traction, and the veterinarian is called in. When the excessive 

 traction exerted by the owner results in fracture or luxation, 

 the surgeon has a disagreeable task before him. Under such 

 conditions the termination is unfavorable, as such animals 

 remain in the recumbent position often for a long time. Should 



