Physical Injuries 59 



floor of the meatus and extending forwards. In the mare, this 

 accident would seem quite as possible because of the very wide, 

 valveless meatus, through which several fingers may be passed, 

 but the penis of the stallion is much larger and the glans very 

 broad . 



In one instance, a somewhat coarse two-year filly, weighing 

 1700 pounds was presented for service to a 2400 pound stallion 

 with a large penis. Upon mounting her, the stallion entered his 

 penis into the vulva a short distance, where an obstruction was 

 apparently encountered, and after a time he dismounted. After 

 repeated unsuccessful efforts the author was asked to examine 

 her and found a persistent hymen across the lower portion of the 

 vagina, sloping upward and backwards which had directed the 

 penis downward against the meatus urinarius, through which the 

 hand could be easily passed, but no injury from the penis could 

 be detected at the time or later ; on the other hand when the 

 penis e'ncountered the obstruction, the stallion desisted from 

 further attempts at copulation. 



Injuries to the female because of great weight of the male are 

 not rare though far less common than one would be inclined to 

 expect when the disparity in size is considered. It is not rare 

 to see females served by males two, three or more times their 

 weight and yet escape injury entirely. In the smaller species of 

 animal, like the pig and dog, the female can quite readily drop 

 to the ground under excessive weight and escape injury, but, 

 in the cow and mare there is danger of serious injury when 

 the weight of the male becomes too great. Ordinarily, a cow 

 or mare can readily withstand copulation with a male weighing 

 150% more than herself, or a cow or heifer weighing 800 pounds 

 can be safely bred to a bull weighing 2000 pounds or slightly 

 more. When this point has been greatly exceeded, danger arises 

 and increases in proportion to the variation in weight. In one 

 instance a heifer of about five months and weighing about 400 

 pounds was .served by a bull weighing 2000 pounds and suf- 

 fered a fracture of the pelvis, though not sufficiently serious to 

 prevent her giving birth in due time to a calf from the service 

 which caused the injury. In another instance, a sucking filly 

 was ridden by a large stallion, causing dislocation of the sacro- 

 iliac articulation on one side and fracture of the iliac shaft on 

 the other, rendering her useless for labor and, after having been 



