TORSION. OF THE PELVIC FLEXURE 307 



arm with the tenacity of strongly exerted voluntary 

 muscle, rendering further examination difficult, and call- 

 ing for great care in order to avoid rupturing the organ. 

 Contents of the bowel were few, oily, and soft. There 

 was no dryness, so marked a feature in cases of ob- 

 struction.^ 



There was no distended bowel in the pelvis, and no 

 portion of the colon could be felt, or at any rate dis- 

 tinguished. 



The animal was now given his head and allowed to do 

 as he liked. Instead of wandering off into the field (the 

 quite usual thing under these circumstances when the 

 case is one of simple obstruction only) he commenced 

 boring with his head into first one bystander and then 

 another, not roughly, but as though seeking ease. He 

 could, in fact, only be kept from doing this by the re- 

 peated use of the whip. Finding that, try as he would, 

 we were insistent on keeping him off, he walked a few 

 yards away, still exhibiting the crouching movement 

 already described, to eventually throw himself to the 

 ground. 



That the pain was continuous was still quite evident 

 even now he was down. No ease was obtained in the 

 recumbent position. Instead, he lay with his forelegs 

 extended in front of him, and continuously exhibited the 

 alternate half rise, half fall, on which I have laid stress 

 as being very nearly symptomatic of incomplete twist. 



Treatment. — In the full knowledge that nothing could 

 be done, and that only death would ensue, an attempt 



1 In this connection note the remarks of Major- General Smith : 

 ' The bowels have usually in the first instance acted. In other 

 words, the rectum has emptied itself. ... I saw one case of 

 pelvic flexure twist where profuse diarrhoea was present nearly the 

 whole period of the attack. ' 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



