194 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



Petit— Ball, de la Soc. Anat. de Paris. Nov., 1900. 



Peuch — Cited by Cadtac in Patbol. d. AdIid. Domest. 



RanclUa— Bee. de MM. V«t£r. 1886, p. 409. 



Reictael — Deutsch. Zeltshcr. f. Gblnirg. 35, p. 495. 



Beynal — Cited by Cad6ac in Patbol. d. Anlm. Domest. 



BoblDBon — Journ. Anat. & Pbys. April, 1896. 



Robinson, F. B. — Med. Record. Aug., 1892. 



Senn — ^Intestinal Surgery. 



Sledamgrotzky — Ber. ue. d. Veterlnaer?. Im Koenigr. Sacbsen. 1871, p. 78. 



Skerrit — Amer. Veter. Review. Nov., 1899. 



Swlezynski — Deutscb. med. Wocbenscbr. 1S05, No. 32. 



netze — Langenbeck's Archiv. t. klin. Cblrurg. 1894-95, p. 111. 



Trasbot — Cited by Cadtec in Patbol. d. Anlm. Domest. 



Tremper — ditto ditto ditto. 



Vamell— Veterinarian. 1864, p. 761. 



Volt & Bauer— Zeitscbr. f. Biologie. 1869. 



Zlegler — Stud. ue. d. intestin. Form. d. Peritonitis. Maencben. 1893. 



Zulu — ^Translat. of Friedberger & Froehner. 



The Rectum and Anus 



EXAMINATION. 



The anus is examined by direct inspection and palpation, the 

 rectum by dilating the anus with a speculum and reflecting light 

 rays within by means of a mirror. The rectum may also be 

 palpated in part through the abdominal wall. 



CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS. 



Congenital occlusion of this portion of the alimentary tract is 

 of occasional occurrence. Its usual seat is in the region of the anus 

 where the integument remains imperforate or the rectum ends in 

 a blind pouch. It will be remembered that in fetal life the rectum 

 is formed from hypoblast and mesoblast while the anus is de- 

 veloped by invagination of epiblast, which as development proceeds 

 joins the hind-gut by absorption of the intervening septum. If 

 this process should fall short of completion the condition in ques- 

 tion is produced. It is a condition which is rarely discovered until 

 symptoms of rectal obstruction have developed. Assimilation of 

 its mother's milk by the suckling is very complete in the alimentary 

 canal so that very little fecal waste takes place. Consequently, the 

 effect of an imperforate excretory office of a young animal may 

 not be pronounced for some days. Moeller saw one puppy which 

 had lived twenty-six days before its condition became manifest. 



Symptoms and Diagnosis. The malformation may be suspected 

 by the exhibition of persistent yet ineffectual attempts at defecation, 

 a distended abdomen, and disinclination to nurse. When the anal 

 opening alone is wanting, the skin covering it is observed to be 



