UNNATURAL PARTURITION. 497 



" Place her in a warm bath, and give her a dose of castor oil, 

 morning and evening. 



" June 1 6. — The bitch appears in the same state as yesterday, 

 except that the medicine has operated freely upon the bowels, and 

 the febrile symptoms have somewhat decreased. Her strainings 

 are as frequent and distressing as ever. Take two scruples of the 

 ergot of rye, and divide into six doses, of which let one be given 

 every half-hour. 



" In about ten minutes after the exhibition of the last dose 

 of this medicine, she brought forth with great difficulty one dead 

 puppy ; upon taking which away from her, she became so uneasy 

 that I was induced to return it to her. In about a quarter of an 

 hour after this I paid her another visit ; the puppy could not now 

 be found ; but a suspicious appearance in the mother's eye betrayed 

 at once that she had devoured it. I immediately administered an 

 emetic ; and in a very short time the whole foetus was returned in 

 five distinct parts, viz., the four quarters and the head. After this, 

 the bitch began to amend very fast ; she produced no other puppy ; 

 and, as her supply of milk was small, she was soon convalescent. 



" Twelve months afterwards she was again taken in labour, 

 about eleven o'clock in the morning, and after very great difficulty 

 one pnppy was produced. After this the bitch appeared in great 

 pain, but did not succeed in expelling another foetus, in conse- 

 quence of which I was sent for about three o'clock p.m. I found 

 her very uneasy, breathing laboriously ; the mouth hot, and the 

 bowels costive; but I could not discover any trace of another 

 foetus. She was put into a warm bath, and a dose of opening 

 medicine was administered. 



" About five o'clock she got rid of one dead and two living 



puppies. 



" 2nd. She is still very ill ; she evinces great pain when pressed 



2 1 



