Rupture of the Uterus and Vagina 817 



rated by other animals. Especially is this true of the cow when 

 she suffers from eversion of the uterus in an enclosure where 

 swine can get to her, as these animals at once pounce upon the 

 prolapsed organ and begin to devour it, if it is within reach. In 

 one case cited by Fleming, almost the entire organ had been de- 

 voured. Just as the condition was discovered the cow got up, and 

 the remnant of the organ suddenly returned to its place. The 

 animal recovered. 



At the normal time for parturition, or when abortion occurs, 

 the. uterus may become ruptured from emphysema of the fetus, 

 or rupture may follow dropsy of the amnion. 



The symptoms of rupture of the uterus are perfectly obvious 

 in the prolapsed organ. When the organ in its normal position 

 becomes ruptured, the symptoms will vary according to the posi- 

 tion and extent of the rupture, the degree of hemorrhage, and the 

 character and volume of substances which may escape from the 

 uterine, into the peritoneal cavity. If the rupture is very exten- 

 sive, and a large amount of liquids, especially if infected, escape 

 into the peritoneal cavity, there is at once a profound collapse, 

 under which the animal is liable to die very suddenly. If the 

 rupture is extensive, and immediately after the extraction of the 

 fetus the veterinarian is .so unfortunate as to inject into the 

 uterine cavity a large volume of antiseptics for the purpose of 

 irrigating the organ, and these escape instead into the peritoneal 

 cavity, the collapse is sudden and death may ensue in the course 

 of an hour or two. 



When the rupture involves the division of voluminous blood 

 vessels, the chief symptoms may be due to the hemorrhage, as 

 already described in the preceding chapter. If the rupture oc- 

 curs in the roof of the organ, or so high along the sides that it 

 does not cause the escape of large volumes of liquids into the 

 peritoneal cavity, there may be no symptoms presented at first, 

 and it may pass undiscovered except through the medium of 

 manual exploration. Later, infection may gain admission into 

 the peritoneal cavity, through the rupture, and bring about a 

 septic peritonitis, with all the symptoms of that disease. 



When the rupture is very small and amounts to a mere perfo- 

 ration, or when a small area of the organ is so contused that it 

 looses its vitality to later become necrotic, and the peritoneal 

 cavity becomes secondarily opened, the definite symptoms, septic 

 52 



