Signs of Pregnancy 391 



suits are not satisfactory because, in our multiparous animals, 

 the fetuses lie in the cornua and, even though we place the 

 animal in a vertical position, the young cannot readily drop into 

 the pelvic cavity in a manner to permit of ballottement. 



In the larger domestic animals, ballottement through the ab- 

 dominal walls is usually quite satisfactory, after some experience 

 has been acquired. The animal is examined in the standing posi- 

 tion. The veterinarian stands upon the right side of the cow, 

 or upon either side of the mare, though preferably upon the left, 

 and places the palm of his hand against the abdominal wall in 

 the lower flank region just above and anterior to the udder. By 

 a sudden push upward there should be recognized a hard body 

 which recedes from the hand as though floating in a liquid and, 

 a moment later, falls back again and strikes the examiner's hand. 

 The exact point for this manipulation must be determined for 

 each individual case and it may be necessary to search the sur- 

 rounding area for some distance before coming in contact with 

 the fetus and thus recognizing its presence. This constitutes 

 one of the most reliable and available methods for the diag- 

 nosis of pregnancy. There are no other normal abdominal con- 

 tents which can thus be pushed away from the abdominal wall 

 with a bound and then fall back again with an evident impact 

 upon the point from which they departed. Naturally, this meth- 

 od is only applicable after the fetus has acquired considerable 

 volume ; hence, it is not available for purposes of diagnosis until 

 the beginning of the last half, or third, of pregnancy. 



The determination of pregnancy by auscultation of the fetal 

 heart-beat is recognized as positive in its results. It is only 

 available when the fetal heart has acquired such dimensions and 

 force as to render its sounds audible. It not only demonstrates 

 fully the presence of a fetus, but also gives the important infor- 

 mation that the fetus is alive. 



The heart-beat of the young consists of regular sounds which 

 are not rythmic with the beat of the maternal h^art ; they are 

 much more rapid and have a different character, the sound hav- 

 ing less volume and being somewhat clearer — perhaps we should 

 say having a higher pitch. I,afosse claims to be able to diag- 

 nose pregnancy in the cow at six months by the heart sounds, 

 but admits that the results are not uniform in all cases, or rather. 



