DISEASES OE YOUNG- CALVES. 249 



then extends down to the r,ight immediately over the navel, and. thus 

 forms an internal pad, preventing the protrusion of intestine. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms of umbilical hernia are a soft swelling 

 at the navel, with contents that usually gurgle on handling, and can 

 be entirely returned into the abdomen by pressure. The diseases of 

 the navel hitherto considered have not gurgling contents, and can not 

 be completely returned into the abdomen. The only exception in the 

 case of the hernia is when the walls of the sac have become greatly 

 thickened; these will, of course, remain as a swelling after the bowel 

 has been returned; and when the protruding bowel has contracted 

 permanent adhesions to the sac it is impossible to return it fully with- 

 out first severing that connection. 



Treatment. — Treatment is not always necessary. A small hernia, 

 like an egg, in a new-born calf, will usually recover of itself as the 

 animal changes its diet to solid food and has the paunch fully devel- 

 oped as an internal pad. 



In other cases apply a leather pad of 8 inches sq uare attached around 

 the body by two elastic bands connected with its four corners, and an 

 elastic band passing from its front border to a collar encircling the 

 neck, and two other elastic bands from the neck collar along the two 

 sides of the body to the two bands passing up over the back. (PL 

 XXIV, fig. 6.) 



For small hernias nitric acid may be used to destroy the skin and 

 cause such swelling as to close the orifice before the skin is separated. 

 For a mass like a large goose egg one-half ounce of the acid may be 

 rubbed in for three minutes. No more must be applied for fifteen 

 days. For large masses this is inapplicable, and with too much loss 

 of skin the orifice may fail to close and the bowels may escape. 



The application of a clamp like those used in castration is a most 

 effective method, but great care must be taken to see that all the con- 

 tents of the sac are returned so that none may be inclosed in the 

 clamp. (PL XXIV, fig. 7.) 



Another most effective resort is to make a saturated solution of com- 

 mon salt, filter and boil it, and when cool inject under the skin (not 

 into the sac) on each side of the hernia a dram of the fluid. A band- 

 age may then be put around the body. In ten hours an enormous 

 swelling will have taken place, pressing back the bowel into the abdo- 

 men. When this subsides the wound will have closed. 



DROPSY OP THE NAVEL. 



A sac formed at the navel, by contained liquid accumulated by rea- 

 son of sucking by other calvfes, is unsightly and sometimes injurious. 

 After making sure that it is simply a dropsical collection it may be 

 deeply punctured at various points with a large-sized lancet or knife, 

 fomented with hot water, and then daily treated with a strong decoc- 

 tion of white-oak bark. 



