Persistent Urachus 1039 



iimbilic vein occur, it is advisable to search for the vessel and 

 place a ligature about it. The ligation of the cord itself, as 

 advised by some, is not sufficient, because the arteries or vein 

 may not be included, as they may have broken at a point higher 

 than that at which the ligature is applied. In such cases liga- 

 tion would tend to favor, rather than prevent the hemorrhage, 

 because it would simply prevent the blood from escaping from 

 the amniotic covering of the cord, which has been converted into 

 a sac by the ligature, and must eventually become filled with 

 blood, causing the ligature to be pushed off. 



In a general way we may best avoid umbilic hemorrhage by 

 permitting the cord to rupture spontaneously, or by rupturing 

 it at the proper point by linear tension, laceration or ecrasement. 

 We should avoid dividing the cord by cutting. 



3. Persistent Urachus. 



Prior to the birth of the young animal, in all those which 

 have an allantoic sac, the urinary bladder has two openings, one 

 posteriorly through the urethra into the amniotic cavity, and the 

 other anteriorly through the umbilic ring and urachus into the 

 cavity of the allantois. 



At the time of birth the narrow anterior canal, constituting a 

 part of the umbilic cord, becomes ruptured, and under normal 

 conditions behaves similarly to the umbilic arteries, and retracts 

 with, or is retracted by the arteries, into the abdominal cavity. 

 Thereafter the urine can escape only through the urethra. Some- 

 what rarely the urachus remains open after birth ; how rarely 

 is not clear. We have not personally observed this condition. 

 It is probably very rare. 



A more common condition is the re-opening of the urachus in 

 cases of umbilic infection, owing to a destruction of the tissue 

 which has occluded the ruptured end of the canal at the time of 

 birth. This condition we have observed only in the foal. Flem- 

 ing asserts that persistent urachus is most frequently observed 

 in the foal, because the vessel is closely attached to the umbilic 

 ring and does not become retracted. However, so far as we 

 have observed, the urachus retracts promptly when the cord is 

 ruptured, and does not protrude beyond the umbilicus except in 

 those cases where the cord has been ligated and then excised. 



