1 86 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



at the hymeneal ring. The symptoms consist of the ap- 

 pearance between the vulvar lips, or projecting beyond 

 them, when the patient is lying down, of a fluctuant, globu- 

 lar mass, covered by the vaginal mucosa. When the cow is 

 caused to stand, the hernial mass usually disappears spon- 

 taneously, or, if it does not, readily disappears under gentle 

 manual compression. Then the veterinarian can readily 

 recognize a well defined hernial ring of variable size, ad- 

 mitting the insertion of two fingers or the entire hand. The 

 veterinarian should constantly be on the alert not to confuse 

 vaginal hernia with prolapse. Prolapse of the vagina is not 

 so frequent as vaginal hernia. I have seen colleagues err 

 in diagnosis. The size of the hernial mass increases as 

 pregnancy advances. The mucosa of the hernial sac be- 

 comes somewhat befouled and inflamed by constant ex- 

 posure to filth when the animal is lying down, but in the 

 cases I have observed there has been no recognizable incon- 

 venience. The hernia constitutes a repulsive defect not 

 wholly devoid of peril to the animal. I have observed five 

 cases of this hernia, all in pedigreed cows. With one ex- 

 ception, all had been purchased as presumably sound by 

 the parties owning them at the time of examination. The 

 one owned by her breeder had developed a fibroma at the 

 hymeneal ring, which protruded beyond the vulva. The 

 veterinarian removed the tumor by ecrasement. Evidently 

 the chain of the ecraseur included a portion of the muscu- 

 lar wall of the vagina, thus causing an opening into the 

 pelvic connective tissue, behind the peritoneum. The intra- 

 abdominal pressure pushed portions of the small intestine 

 against the peritoneum and forced it out through the vent 

 in the vulvo-vaginal wall, to constitute a hernia. It is not 

 impossible that the other cases I observed were caused in 

 the same way, since the vestiges of the hymen are fre- 

 quently the seat of fibroid tumors and the veterinarian, 

 when called to remove them, resorts to the ecraseur, with- 

 out thinking of the consequences. The tumors will be dis- 

 cussed later. As I now recall, the hernia has been on the 



