DISEASES OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 



129 



Causes. — This condition may be either due to an excessive 

 demand on these organs in stud purposes, or from denial of 

 connection when brought in contact with the objects of de- 

 sire ; or it may result from injury, as blows, bruises, crushes, 

 etc. 



Treatment. — If the enlargement is due to the first-named 

 cause, rest, tonics (particularly the iodide of iron and potas- 

 sium), and nourishing food are indicated. If from the 

 second-named cause. Nature should without question be 

 allowed to follow her course, or relief by depletion from in- 

 ternal and local agents must be adopted. If it results from 

 the latter-named causes, antiphlogistic measures must be 

 had recourse to — aperient medicine, leeches, fomentations, 

 and quietude. Castration is occasionally necessary in the 

 last-named causes, but rarely if ever the former. 



INVERSION OF THE VAGINA. 



This is very commonly seen in bitches who have had 

 many litters of puppies, and who are of a relaxed and debili- 

 tated condition of system. It is frequently present during 

 the period of oestrum, and as frequently disappears with the 

 decline of that function. 



Symptoms. — The presence or protrusion of a red, soft, 

 smooth body at the orifice of the vagina, easily returnable, 

 but which is again, unless proper means be restored to, 

 quickly re-inverted.* In chronic cases the tumor invariably 



* In the bitch, inversion of the vagina has been sometimes mistaken 

 for a condylomatus tumor; and cases are recorded in which tumors 

 of this kind, protruding beyond the vulva, through insufficient examina- 

 tion have been mistaken for inversion. Inversion of the bladder has also 

 been confounded with that of the vagina. The pyriform kysts which 

 sometimes form in that canal, and contain a clear citron-colored fluid, 

 have likewise been sometimes confounded with inversion of the vagina. 



To avoid errors which might have a serious tendency, a careful exam- 

 ination must be made, and nothing should be attempted in the way of 

 operation until the state of affairs is exactly determined. 



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