84 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



There is no field of veterinary practice where system and 

 detailed permanent records are so essential to efficiency. 

 The precise order of examination needs to be varied some- 

 times according to the individual, but generally a definite 

 order may be followed from beginning to end. I have found 

 the examination blank, shown in Fig. 37, convenient in mak- 

 ing a systematic and complete examination. After the iden- 

 tity and the history of the animal have been satisfactorily 

 recorded, any evidences of abnormality in the broad, or 

 sacro-sciatic ligaments, such as their sunken condition in 

 nymphomania, with external evidences of vulvar disease are 

 noted. 



1. Examination of Vulva and Vagina 



It is generally advisable next to insert the hand into 

 the vagina and carefully palpate and record findings 

 in the vulva, vagina, and os uteri externum. Unless 

 palpation reveals counter-indications, the twenty-inch 

 uterine forceps should be introduced alongside the hand 

 already within the vagina and the cervix grasped. This 

 is best accomplished by pushing the index finger against 

 or into the os uteri externum. With the forceps slightly 

 open, push the one jaw into the os far enough to se- 

 cure a firm hold upon its lip and then close and lock the 

 forceps. In some heifers, the vaginal portion of the cervix 

 forms such a sharp cone, and the cervical canal is so narrow, 

 that the tip of the forceps jaw cannot be inserted sufficiently 

 to grasp the cervix. In such cases the forceps should be 

 opened wide enough to grasp the cervical cone at the side 

 near its base. 



Moderate traction upon the forceps draws the cervix, 

 uterus, and ovaries backward four to ten inches, stretches 

 the uterus in its ligaments, renders its outline clearer, and 

 brings the ovaries into a more accessible position. When 

 an ovary is unusually large and the abdomen pendulous, the 

 gland frequently drops forward and downward where the 

 examiner cannot reach it or can do so only with great diflH- 

 culty not devoid of peril to the rectal walls. The traction 



