190 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



pressed against the wall of the womb, while two or three assistants 

 turn the animal over on her back toward the other side. The object 

 is to keep the womb stationary while the animal is rolling. If suc- 

 cess attends the effort, the constriction around the arm is suddenly- 

 relaxed, the spiral folds are effaced, and the water bags and fetus 

 press forward into the passage. If the first attempt does not succeed, 

 it may be repeated again and again until success crowns the effort. 

 Among my occasional causes of failure have been the prior death 

 and decomposition of the fetus, with the extrication of gas and over- 

 distention of the womb, and the supervention of inflammation and 

 inflammatory exudation around the neck of the womb, which hinders 

 untwisting. The first of these conditions occurs early in the horse 

 from the detachment of the fetal membranes from the wall of the 

 womb ; and as the mare is more subject to fatal peritonitis than the 

 cow, it may be concluded that both these sources of failure are more 

 probable in the former subject. 



When the case is intractable, though the hand may be easily intro- 

 duced, the instrument shown in Plate XIV, figure 7, may be used. 

 Each hole at the small end of the instrument has passed through it 

 a stout cord with a running noose, to be passed around two feet or 

 other portion of the fetus which it may be possible to reach. The 

 cords are then drawn tight and fixed around the handle of the instru- 

 ment ; then, by using the cross handle as a lever, the fetus and womb 

 may be rotated in a direction opposite to that causing the obstruction. 

 During this process the hand must be introduced to feel when the 

 twist has been undone. This method may be supplemented, if neces- 

 sary, by rolling the mare as described above. 



Effusion or blood in the vaginal walls. — This is common as 

 a result of difficult parturition, but it may occur from local injury 

 before that act, and may seriously interfere with it. This condition 

 is easily recognized by the soft, doughy swelling so characteristic 

 of blood clots, and by the dark-red color of the mucous membrane. 

 I have laid open such swellings with the knife as late as 10 days 

 before parturition, evacuated the clots, and dressed the wound daily 

 with an astringent lotion (sulphate of zinc 1 dram, carbolic acid 

 1 dram, water 1 quart). A similar resort might be had, if necessary, 

 during parturition. 



Calculus ( stone ) and tumok in the bladder. — The pressure upon 

 the bladder containing a stone or a tumor may prove so painful that 

 the mare will voluntarily suppress the labor pains. Examination 

 of the bladder with the finger introduced through the urethra will 

 detect the offending agent. A stone should be extracted with forceps. 

 (See " Lithotomy.") The large papillary tumors which I have met 

 with in the mare's bladder have been invariably delicate in texture 



