Accidetits and Opetations. 403 



injury close to the mouth of the uterus, and for which I 

 gave instructions as to treatment. Stone at this time was 

 not suspected. After this I did not see her again until 

 April, 1881, when her owner informed me she had visited 

 the dog, and I examined her as to pregnancy. Careful 

 abdominal manipulation, whilst the bitch was on her back, 

 revealed a movable substance, but of its nature there was 

 some doubt. On Saturday morning, June 26th, the day of 

 the operation, the, patient was again brought to me. She 

 was this time continually straining and passing blood and 

 urine in small quantities. Placing her upon her back, I 

 found the enlargement previously felt had considerably 

 increased in size, and, on grasping it, crepitus was both felt 

 and heard. I then diagnosed the case as one of cystic 

 calculi, though strong adverse opinions were expressed by 

 other professionals. As the poor creature was in evident 

 and acute pain, at the wish of the owner, and in accordance 

 with my own feelings about the case, I at once operated 

 by the csesarian method ; and, although it was scarcely 

 possible a successful issue could result therefrom, especially 

 in her obese condition, yet I felt it was justifiable when 

 such a valuable life was in the balance, as it resolved itself 

 into a question of relief by the only methbd in canine 

 surgery possible, or otherwise letting her linger on in agony, 

 I advocated a preparation for the ordeal, but as the owner 

 was leaving home for a fortnight, and the patient would 

 not have lived until his return, I had no alternative but to 

 perform the operation. As it was impossible to dilate 

 the urethra sufficiently, and vagino vesical lithotomy was 

 out of the question, I decided upon the cssarian section. 

 A quantity of fat omentum had to be removed to expose 

 the bladder. The largest stone was discovered fixed in 

 its neck, and when released by incision, all the others 

 followed. Many besides those collected were lost in the 

 straw upon which she lay. The incised bladder was care- 

 fully united with carbolised cat-gut, and the external 



