re. 
UNNATURAL PARTURITION. 425 
should be given every hour or half-hour, according to circumstances. If after 
a certain. time some, although little, progress has been made, the ergot must be 
continued in smaller doses, or perhaps suspended fora while ; butif all progress: 
is evidently suspended, recourse must be had to the hook or the forceps. By 
gentle but continued manipulation much may be done, especially when the 
1uzzle of the puppy can be brought into the passage. As little force as possible 
must be used, and especially the foetus little broken, Many a valuable animal 
is destroyed by the undue application of force. ‘ ; 
“Tf the animal seems to be losing strength, a small quantity of laudanum 
and ether may be administered. ‘The patience of bitches in labour is extreme,’ 
says Mr. Blaine; ‘and their distress, if not removed, is most striking and: 
affecting. Their look is at such time particularly expressive and apparently: 
imploring.’ When the pupping is protracted, and the young ones are evidently 
dead, the mother may be saved, if none of the puppies have been broken. In 
process of time the different puppies may, one after another, be extracted ; but 
when violence has been used at the commencement, or almost at any part of 
the process, death will assuredly follow. 
“ June 15, 1832.—A spaniel bitch was brought to my infirmary to-day who 
has been in great and constant pain since yesterday, making repeated but fruit- 
less efforts to expel her puppies. She is in a very plethoric habit of body ; 
her bowels are much confined, and she exhibits some general symptoms of 
febrile derangement, arising, doubtless, from her protracted labour. This is 
her first litter. Upon examination no young could be distinctly felt. 
“Place her in a warm bath, and give her a dose of castor oil morning and 
evening. 
“June 16.—The bitch appears in the same state as yesterday, except that 
the medicine has operated freely upon the bowels, and the febrile symptoms 
have somewhat decreased. Her strainings are as frequent and distressing as 
ever. Take two scruples of the ergot of rye, and divide into six doses, of which 
let one be given every half-hour, 
“In about ten minutes after the exhibition of the last dose of this medicine 
she brought forth with great difficulty oue dead puppy, upon taking which 
away from her she became so uneasy that I was induced to return it to her. 
In about a quarter of an hour after this I paid her another visit ; the puppy 
could not now be found; but.a suspicious appearance in the mother’s eye 
betrayed at once that she had devoured it. I immediately administered an 
emetic ; and in a very short time the whole feetus was returned in five distinct 
parts, viz., the four quarters and the head. After this the bitch began to 
amend very fast ; she produced no other puppy; and as her supply of milk 
was small, she was soon convalescent. 
“Twelve months afterwards slie was again taken in labour, about eleven 
o’clock in the morning, and atter very great difficulty one puppy was produced. 
After this the bitch appeared in great pain, but did not succeed in expelling 
another foetus, in consequence of which I was sent for about three o'clock P.M. 
I found her very uneasy, breathing laboriously ; the mouth hot, and the bowels 
costive; but I could not discover any trace of another foetus, She was put 
into a warm bath, and a dose of opening medicine was administered. 
“ About five o’clock she got rid of one dead and two living puppies. 
“ond, She is still very ill; she evinces great pain when pressed upon the 
abdomen ; and it is manifest that she has another foetus within her, I ordered 
a dose of the ergot, and in about twenty minutes a large puppy was produced, 
nearly dying. She survived with due care. =41. 
«‘T cannot refrain from inserting the following case at considerable length :— 
