192 



DISEASES OF THE HOKSE. 



points to a depth of half an inch or more, after which the natural 

 expulsive efforts will usually prove effective. The, resulting wounds 

 may be washed frequently with a solution of 1 part of carbolic acid 

 to 50 parts of water, or of 1 part of mercuric chlorid to 1,000 parts 



of water. -r • n i- « 



Fetus adherent to the walls of the womb.— In inflammation ot 

 the mucous membrane lining the cavity of the womb and implicat- 

 ing the fetal membranes the resulting embryonic tissue sometimes 

 establishes a medium of direct continuity between the womb and fetal 

 membranes; the blood vessels of the one communicate freely with 

 those of the other and the fibers of the one are prolonged into the 

 other. This causes retention of the membranes after birth, and a 

 special risk of bleeding from the womb, and of septic poisoning. In 

 exceptional cases the adhesion is more extensive and binds a portion 

 of the body of the foal firmly to the womb. In such cases it has 

 repeatedly been found impossible to extract the foal until such ad- 

 hesions were broken down. If they can be reached with the hand 

 and recognized, they may be torn through with the fingers or with 

 a blunt hook, after which delivery may be attempted with hope of 

 success. 



Excessive size of fetus. — It would seem that a small mare may 

 usually be safely bred to a large stallion, yet this is not always the 

 case, and when the small size is an individual rather than a racial 

 characteristic or the result of being very young, the rule can not 

 be expected to hold. There is always great danger in breeding the 

 young, small, and undeveloped female, and the dwarfed representa- 

 tive of a larger breed, as the offspring tend to partake of the large 

 race characteristics and to show them even prior to birth. When 

 impregnation has occurred in the very young or in the dwarfed 

 female there are two alternatives — to induce abortion or to wait until 

 there are attempts at parturition and to extract by embryotomy if 

 impracticable otherwise. 



Constriction of a member bt the navel string. — In man and 

 animals alike the winding of the umbilical cord around a member 

 of the fetus sometimes leads to the amputation of the latter. It is 

 also known to get wound around the neck or a limb at birth, but in 

 the mare this do6s not seriously impede parturition, as the loosely 

 attached membranes are easily separated from the womb and no 

 strangulation or retarding occurs. The foal may, however, die from 

 the cessation of the placental circulation unless it is speedily de- 

 livered. 



Water in the head (hydrocephalus) of the foal. — This consists 

 in the excessive accumulation of liquid in the ventricles of the brain 

 so that the cranial cavity is enlarged and constitutes a great, project- 

 ing, rounded mass occupying the space from the eyes upward. (See 



