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. 
ErrusIoN OF 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. 
T 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 TUMOR 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. Examinafion 
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 
